UC-NRLF 


BID    MM2 


LIFE   OF  GENERAL   JOHN    SEVIER 


62 


LIFE   OF 

GENERAL    JOHN 
SEVIER 


BY 

FRANCIS  M.   TURNER,  A.B.,  A.M. 
»\ 


NEW  YORK  AND  WASHINGTON 

THE  NEALE   PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

1910 


COPYRIGHT,  1910,  BY 
THE   NEALE   PUBLISHING   COMPANY 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

PREFACE      7 

CHAPTER 

I.  THE  SEVIER  FAMILY       ....       n 
II.  EARLY  SETTLEMENTS  IN  EAST  TEN 
NESSEE     22 

III.  THE  WATAUGA  ASSOCIATION      .      .       36 

IV.  THE    FIGHTING    HEROES    OF    WA 

TAUGA      48 

V.  INDIAN    DISTURBANCES         ...  62 
VI.  THE  VOYAGE  OF  THE  "ADVENTURE  " 
AND     SKIRMISHES     WITH     THE 

BRITISH        90 

VII.  THE  UPRISING  OF  THE  WATAUGANS  108 
VIII.  THE  BATTLE  OF  KING'S  MOUNTAIN  125 
IX.  BATTLES  WITH  THE  INDIANS      .      .  136 
X.  THE  STATE  OF  FRANKLIN         .      .  153 
XL  UNHAPPY  EVENTS  ON   THE  WEST 
ERN  BORDER 171 

XII.  THE    TERRITORY    SOUTH    OF    THE 

OHIO  RIVER 186 

XIII.  THE  CLOSING  DAYS  211 


At  r\  -4    j*\ 


JOHN  SKVIKR 


ntOHTISPUCI 


PREFACE 

WHEN  a  boy  reads  the  biography  of  a 
great  man,  he  is  especially  interested  in  the 
hero's  boyhood  days — his  joys  and  sorrows, 
struggles  and  victories;  and  he  is  always  dis 
appointed  if  nothing  has  been  said  about  that 
period  of  the  hero's  life.  The  fact  that 
the  youthful  period  of  Sevier's  life  had 
been  neglected,  led  me  to  write  this  little 
volume.  During  my  school  days,  when 
I  read  about  the  wonderful  battles  which 
General  Sevier  fought  with  the  dusky  war 
riors  of  the  forest,  and  about  the  terrible 
clash  with  the  British  at  King's  Mountain, 
I  wondered  if  anything  reliable  had  been 
written  about  his  boyhood  days.  Later 
I  was  disappointed  to  find  that  the  biogra 
phy  of  an  American  hero,  a  man  who  had 
been  instrumental  in  turning  the  tide  of  the 
Revolution  at  King's  Mountain,  had  been  sadly 
neglected.  In  all  my  early  investigations  I 
could  not  find  a  book  'that  furnished  the  in 
formation  I  was  seeking.  I  read  Ramsey's 
"  Annals  of  Tennessee  "  and  Gilmore's  "  Rear 
guard  of  the  Revolution "  and  "  John  Sevier 


8  PREFACE 

as  a  Commonwealth-Builder,"  the  last-named 
not  being  a  biography  and  very  unreliable 
history;  these  books,  though  full  of  interest 
ing  matter,  did  not  give  me  enough  about  the 
early  life  of  General  Sevier  and  about  other 
neglected  parts  of  his  interesting  career. 

Next  I  wrote  letters  of  inquiry.  By  this 
plan  I  found,  in  the  Draper  Manuscript  Col 
lection  in  the  State  Historical  Society  of 
Wisconsin,  many  letters  and  manuscript 
statements  containing  much  desirable  infor 
mation  about  Sevier.  In  1844,  Doctor  Draper 
visited  three  sons  of  General  Sevier  and  had 
personal  interviews  with  them,  taking  notes 
of  the  information  he  gathered.  He  also  re 
ceived  many  letters  from  them,  some  of  which 
contain  much  biographical  and  genealogical 
material.  It  was  pure  love  for  historical  in 
vestigation  that  led  the  venerable  Doctor 
Draper  thus  to  preserve  for  mankind  much 
information  of  this  kind.  This  is  the  first 
time  this  valuable  manuscript  matter  about 
Sevier's  life  has  been  presented  in  history  or 
biography. 

This  book  was  written  for  those  who  love 
to  read  about  the  deeds  of  the  heroes  who 
fought  for  our  freedom  and  caused  the  light 
of  peace  and  civilization  to  shine  upon  our 
"  land  of  the  free  and  home  of  the  brave." 


PREFACE  9 

My  thanks  are  due  to  Mr.  L.  C.  Burke, 
Librarian  of  the  State  University  of  Wis 
consin,  who  went  through  the  Draper  manu 
scripts  carefully  and  copied  for  me  such  ma 
terial  as  I  desired.  My  thanks  are  also  due 
to  Doctor  Reuben  Gold  Thwaites,  the  well- 
known  author,  who,  as  Secretary  of  the  State 
Historical  Society  of  Wisconsin,  very  kindly 
aided  me  with  information  concerning  the 
Draper  manuscripts.  I  must  also  thank  Doc 
tor  E.  W.  Kennedy,  Professor  of  History  in 
the  Peabody  College  for  Teachers,  Mr.  A.  V. 
Goo'd pasture,  author  and  Secretary  of  the 
Tennessee  Historical  Society,  Mr.  J.  W.  Shep 
herd,  Nashville,  Author,  and  Doctor  Arthur 
Howard  Noll,  of  the  University  of  the  South, 
Sewanee,  who  kindly  read  my  manuscript  and 
made  suggestions  and  corrections. 

FRANCIS  M.  TURNER. 

CHRISTIANA  HIGH   SCHOOL,  April  24,  1909. 


THE  LIFE  OF  SEVIER 


CHAPTER   I 

THE    SEVIER    FAMILY 

IN  THE  sixteenth  century  the  town  of 
Xavier,  in  Navarre,  in  the  French  Pyrenees, 
gave  its  name  to  the  family  of  one  of  its 
most  famous  citizens,  upon  whom  the  Roman 
Church  a  century  later  conferred  the  title  of 
Saint.  St.  Francis  was  of  noble  parentage 
and  was  born  in  the  castle  of  Navier  on  April 
7th,  1506.  He  was  educated  at  the  College 
of  St.  Barbe,  Paris,  and  during  his  student 
days  he  became  acquainted  with  Ignatius  de 
Loyola.  Some  years  later  these  two,  with 
others,  founded  the  Society  of  Jesus,  or  the 
Order  of  the  Jesuits,  as  it  is  usually  called. 
St.  Francis  was  afterwards  sent  by  the 
Order  to  the  East  as  a  missionary.  He  vis 
ited  Japan  and  many  of  the  islands,  and,  with 
his  staff  of  assistants,  baptised  in  a  single 
month  ten  thousand  natives  of  the  little  king 
dom  of  Travancore.  He  died  in  1552  on  his 
way  to  undertake  a  mission  to  China.  Sev 
enty  years  later  he  was  canonized,  that  is,  de- 
ii 


12  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

clared  by  the  Roman  Church  entitled  to  be 
called  Saint  Francis,  though  he  is  generally 
known  as  thr*crApostle  of  the  Indies." 

About  this  time  the  Protestants  of  France, 
called  Huguenots,  werV>becoming  numerous 
and  powerful,  despite  the  persecutions  to 
which  they  were  subjected  in  the  reign  of 
Francis  I.  and  the  famous  massacre  of  St. 
Bartholomew's  Day,  August  24th,  1572. 
They  were  the  Puritans  of  France  and  were 
generally  noted  for  their  virtuous  conduct 
and  the  purity  of  their  lives.  In  1598  King 
Henry  IV.  of  France  issued  the  Edict  of 
Nantes,  which  secured  to  them  full  political 
and  civil  rights  and  protected  them  from  per 
secution.  In  1685  Louis  XIV.  revoked  the 
Edict,  and  the  persecution  of  the  Huguenots 
began  again  and  was  pursued  with  such  vio 
lence  as  to  force  hundreds  of  them  into  exile 
in  Prussia,  the  Netherlands,  Switzerland, 
England,  and  America,  or  wherever  the 
rights  of  Protestants  were  respected. 

Strange  as  it  may  seem,  some  of  the  fam 
ily  of  St.  Francis  Xavier,  living  at  Xavier, 
and  bearing  the  name  of  the  town  as  a  fam 
ily  name,  had  embraced  the  Protestant  re 
ligion,  and  one  of  them,  a  devout  young 
Huguenot,  was  among  the  first  to  leave 
France  after  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of1 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER  13 

Nantes.  He  settled  in  London  and  there  the 
family  name  of  Xavier  was  gradually 
changed  to  Sevier.  He  married  a  woman 
named  Smith,  by  whom  he  had  a  son,  born 
some  time  in  the  year  1703.  In  or  before 
1740,  this  son,  Valentine  'Sevier,1^  ran  away 
from  home  and  came  to  the  New  World. 
He  found  a  home  in  the  beautiful  Shenan- 
doah  Valley,  Virginia,  in  what  was  then 
Augusta  County,  but  is  now  within  the  lim 
its  of  Rockingham  County.1 

In  course  of  time  Valentine  Sevier  met 
Miss  Joanna  Goade,2  and  some  time  later  mar 
ried  her.  It  was  a  very  happy  marriage  and 
the  two  were  held  in  high  esteem  by  all  the 
neighbors  and  friends.  On  September  23, 
1745,  this  marriage  was  blessed  with  a  son, 
to  whom  the  name  John  was  given*"  Little 
did  these  young  parents  fancy  their  babe 
would  live  to  be  one  of  the  world's  heroes; 
little  did  they  think  then  that  he  would  one 
day  help  to  smite  the  enemy  of  his  country 
and  make  way  for  peace  and  civilization ;  little 
did  they  dream,  perhaps,  that  he  would  ever  be 
a  ruler  among  his  people,  General  John 
Sevier. 

Valentine  Sevier,  John's  father,  had  a 
country  store,  a  small  mercantile  business, 

1  Draper    MSS.  2  Draper    MSS. 


14  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

and  a  farm;  and  his  son  John  was  taught  to 
labor  in  the  field,  learning  the  noblest  of  oc 
cupations.  John  was  very  fond  of  horses 
and  dogs,  and  living  on  the  frontier  of  the 
colony,  near  the  region  of  wild  game,  he  also 
became  exceedingly  fond  of  hunting.  When 
tired  of  the  monotony  of  farm  life,  nothing 
pleased  him  more  than  to  shoot  squirrels  and 
turkeys  in  the1  mountains  or,  in  company  with 
his  boy  friends,  to  mount  his  favorite  horse 
and  ride  away  into  the  distant  woodlands 
with  the  pack  of  hounds  for  a  fox-chase  or 
a  deer-hunt.  The  yelping  of  the  hounds  was 
fascinating  to  him,  and  he  would  put  the 
spurs  to  his  horse  and  gallop  away  to  some 
high  hill  to  listen  to  the  music  of  the  chase. 
Hunting  wild  game  developed  his  powers  as 
a  marksman,  and  riding  the  chase  gave  him 
the  fine  physical  £orm  for  which  he  was  dis 
tinguished  in  after  life  as  a  soldier  and 
general. 

In  Sevier's  youth  the  South  had  no  public 
free  schools,  though  there  existed  in  most 
communities  the  "  old-field  school/'  supported 
by  those  who  chanced  to  have  an  interest  in 
it.  But  at  best  this  was  a  very  poor  place 
to  obtain  an  "education."  The  school-house, 
built  of  logs  and  daubed  with  mud  or 
mortar,  was  often  so  open  in  construction 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  15 

that  school  could  not  be  kept  in  it  during 
the  winter  months.  It  was  furnished  with 
benches  made  of  slabs  hewed  from  split  logs, 
each  slab  resting  upon  four  legs  driven  in 
auger  holes,  two  at  each  end.  An  opening 
or  two,  made  in  the  wall  of  the  building  and 
furnished  usually  with  wooden  shutters, 
served  as  windows,  and  a  "stick  and  dirt" 
chimney  formed  a  very  wide  fire-place  at  one 
end  of  the  room. 

As  for  the  teacher,  he  was  usually  a  stern 
old  fellow  whom  the  scholars  feared  rather 
than  loved  or  respected.  He  was  much  more 
skilful  in  the  use  of  the  rod  than  in  imparting 
knowledge,  for  he  had  very  little  learning  to 
impart.  Spelling  and  writing,  a  little  gram 
mar,  and  a  smattering  of  arithmetic  were 
about  all  he  could  teach.  He  usually  had 
a  long  list  of  rules  which  he  read  daily  to  his 
pupils  for  the  regulation  of  their  conduct,  and 
often  some  unfortunate  pupil  who  had  vio 
lated  the  "  rules  "  had  to  wear  the  "  dunce 
cap "  or  was  caned.  There  were  no  copy 
books,  except  what  the  schoolmaster  and  his 
pupils  contrived  to  make  of  fool's  cap  paper. 
Pens  were  made  of  goose-quills.  The  school 
master  was  very  skilful  in  making  these  pens 
and  in  "  setting  copies  "  for  his  pupils.  The 
pupils  studied  their  lessons  aloud,  and  now 


16  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

and  then  the  stern  voice  of  the  old  master, 
followed  by  a  rap  on  a  bench,  awakened  some 
idle  pupil  to  greater  efforts  to  get  his  lesson. 
But  there  existed  throughout  the  country  a 
few  academies  and  private  schools  in  which 
some  of  our  greatest  patriots  and  statesmen 
were  educated  after  they  had  left  the  old- 
field  schools.  Books  were  rare  in  the  colo 
nies,  but  well  read.  Shakespeare,  a  few  vol 
umes  of  history  and  biography,  and  the  Bible 
comprised  the  library  of  the  frontier  settle 
ments. 

In  spite  of  these  drawbacks  young  Sevier 
was  fairly  well  educated  for  his  time.  He 
was  a  student  for  some  time  in  the  academy 
at  Staunton,  Virginia,  and  applied  himself 
with  reasonable  diligence  and  acquired  a  good 
knowledge  of  English,  as  his  subsequent  cor 
respondence  shows.  While  attending  school 
at  Staunton,  he  fell  into  a  mill  race  one  day 
and  would  have  been  drowned  had  he  not 
been  rescued  by  two  ladies,  sisters,  one  of 
whom  was  later  the  wife  of  Governor  Mat 
thews  of  Georgia.3  As  long  as  he  lived,  when 
ever  opportunity  offered,  he  showed  his  grat 
itude  to  these  ladies  for  their  rescue  of  him 
in  his  youth. 

When  his  school  days  were  over,  John  re- 
3  Draper  MSS. 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER  17 

turned  to  his  home  and  became  a  clerk  in  his 
father's  store.4  His  father  had  become  some 
what  dissipated  and  spent  a  good  part  of  his 
time  at  Culpeper  Court  House,  gambling 
and  drinking.  Such  indulgences  were  very 
common  in  those  days  and  were  not  regarded 
in  the  way  they  are  at  present.  Fortunately 
John  never  had  any  such  bad  habits,  and  was 
not  even  addicted  to  the  use  of  tobacco.  He 
had  pleasant  manners  which  won  him  many 
friends,  and  he  was  naturally  kind  and  cour 
teous  to  his  customers ;  best  of  all,  he  was  so 
honest  and  sincere  that  he  had  the  respect  of 
all  with  whom  he  was  associated. 

About  the  time  young  Sevier  was  attend 
ing  school  at  Staunton,  Benjamin  Franklin 
was  postmaster-general,  the  mail  was  begin 
ning  to  be  carried  by  stage-coaches,  cities 
were  growing  rapidly,  and  there  were  seven 
newspapers  published  in  the  colonies.  Many 
planters  read  the  papers  and  kept  informed 
on  the  political,  social,  and  religious  topics 
of  the  day.  Books  by  American  authors 
were  beginning  to  be  read.  Franklin's  wise 
sayings  in  "  Poor  Richard's  Almanac "  were 
eagerly  read  by  people  in  all  the  colonies.  It 
was  not  by  any  means  a  time  of  mental  stag 
nation;  the  tide  of  political,  social,  and  relig- 
4  Draper  MSS. 


i8  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

ions  affairs  forced  the  minds  of  men  to  great 
activity. 

The  school  days  of  Sevier  ended  at  Staun- 
ton.  William  and  Mary  College  was  the 
best-equipped  of  the  colonial  institutions  of 
learning,  and  it  was  customary  for  the  sons 
of  the  better  class  of  planters  who  desired  an 
education  to  enter  that  institution  for  their 
degrees  and  training  for  professional  life. 
But  study  was  irksome  to  John  Sevier's  ac 
tive  nature,  and  he  did  not  enter  William 
and  Mary.  He  seems  not  to  have  aspired  to 
distinction  in,  a  professional  career  in  the 
fields  of  science  or  literature.  His  was  the 
mission  of  the  soldier  and  statesman,  and  he 
was  to  become  one  of  the  pioneers  of  civiliza 
tion  in  its  westward  journey. 

A  great  many  wild  tales  are  told  of 
Sevier's  fights  with  the  Indians  in  his  youth ; 
and,  while  we  cannot  rely  upon  them  all  as 
true,  we  do  know,  that  he  grappled  'with 
the  dusky  fellows  while  yet  in  his  teens.  In 
a  letter  to  Doctor  Draper  in  1844,  Major 
James  Sevier,  son  of  John  Sevier,  says  of  his 
father:  "Near  the  close  of  the  old  French 
Avar,  Sevier  was  out  on,  several  scouts  on  the 
Virginian  frontiers  and  on  one  occasion,  with 
others,  came  near  getting  into  an  ambuscade, 
but  fortunately  discovered  the  net  in  good 


THE   LIFE -OF   SEVIER  19 

time  to  escape.  This  was  his  first  military 
service  and  experience." 

After  leaving  the  academy  at  Staunton, 
and  while  yet  a  merchant  in  his  father's 
store,  young  Sevier  began  to  devise  plans  for 
launching  out  into  the  sea  of  life  in  his  own 
little  bark.  Like  many  another  American,  he 
had  learned  early  to  paddle  his  own  canoe. 
The  cause  of  such  serious  considerations,  suf 
fice  it  to  say,  "was  the  fact  that  he  had  fallen 
in  love.  This  passion  of  love,  growing 
stronger  day  by  day,  may  have  been  one  of 
the  chief  causes  of  his  leaving  the  acadeniy 
and  ending  his  school  days  when  he  did. 
History  is  silent  as  to  this.  He  seems  to  have 
been  devoted  entirely  to  the  young  woman, 
Sarah  Hawkins.  She  was  a  tender,  deli 
cate  young  lady;  and  her  delicacy  and  pure 
modesty  constituted  the  youth!s  ideal.  She 
may  have  been  a  schoolmate,  and  was  doubt 
less  the  first  lover  of  his  youth.  The  wedding 
took  place  in  1761* 

After  this  union,  which  proved  a  happy 
one,  young  Sevier  tried  his  hand  at  farming 
on  a  tract  of  land  called  Long  Meadows.7 
This  work  was  well  suited  to  his  taste,  as 
he  could  here  indulge  his  fondness  for  horses 
and  dogs  and  hunting  more  freely  than  he 
5  Draper  MSS.  «  Ibid.  7  Ibid. 


20  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

could  if  engaged  in  the  mercantile  pursuits. 
Those  who  have  enjoyed  the  freedom  and  in 
dependence  of  farm  life,  and  the  peace  and 
happiness  which  dwell  in  the  humble  cottage, 
can  easily  imagine  the  supreme  happiness  of 
this  young  husband  and  wife  on  the  little 
farm  at  Long  Meadows. 

Sevier's  business  at  Long  Meadows  was  on 
too  small  a  scale  to  satisfy  his  ambitions  and 
he  remained  there  only  a  few  years.  He 
bought  a  tract  of  land  in  the  Shenandoah 
Valley,  near  Mt.  Jackson,  and  laid  off  town 
lots,  founding  a  little  town  which  he  named 
New  Market,  and  which  still  exists  under 
that  name,  and  has  a  population  of  about 
seven  hundred.  In  this  town  he  established 
himself  as  a  farmer,  inn-keeper,  and  mer 
chant.  He  gave  the  Baptist  Church  three 
acres  of  land  on  which  to  erect  a  church 
building.  He  dealt  in  dry-goods,  groceries 
and  such  other  articles  as  were  in  demand, 
the  settlers  along  the  valley  and  from  the  hills 
proving  good  customers.  It  often  happened 
that  the  Indians  came  down  from  the  moun 
tains  and  exchanged  their  peltries  for  beads, 
looking-glasses,  gay-colored  cloths,  and  such 
other  things  as  were  attractive  to  them. 

Sevier  remained  in  New  Market  several 
years  and  prospered,  but,  desirous  of  doing 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  21 

greater  things  in  the  world  for  his  wife,  and 
rapidly  increasing  family,  he  began  to  yearn 
for  a  new  field  of  activity.  So,  in  1770,  he 
moved  to  Millerstown  in  Shenandoah 
County,8  only  a  few  miles  from  New  Market. 
While  living  here  he  began  to  travel  and  ex 
plore.  Formerly  he  had  been  seeking  his 
fortune  in  the  northern  part  of  the  Shenan 
doah  Valley;  now  he  turned  his  attention 
towards  the  wilderness  of  the  great  South 
west  in  the  region  known  to-day  as  East 
Tennessee. 

s  Draper    MSS. 


CHAPTER   II 

EARLY    SETTLEMENTS    IN     EAST    TENNESSEE 

BEFORE  considering  the  early  settlements 
in  the  regions  now  known  as  East  Tennessee 
and  the  advent  of  our  hero  into  that  terri 
tory,  it  will  be  well  to  take  a  panoramic  view 
of  the  vast  wilderness  west  of  the  stately 
mountains  which  tower  above  the  rippling 
waters  of  the  Watauga,  and  to  take  a  look 
at  its  early  dwellers. 

Standing  on  these  lofty  mountain  heights, 
the  explorer  might  have  beheld  a  wide  ex 
panse  of  forest,  a  forest  clothing  one  of  the 
richest  and  most  beautiful  spots  on  the  face 
of  the  earth.  In  the  distance  vast  herds  of 
buffaloes  grazed,  bear  lurked  in  the  dense 
cane-brake,  and  deer  fled  over  the  hills.  By 
day,  the  wilderness  was  flooded  with  the 
music  of  countless  song-birds;  by  night,  the 
solitude  was  broken  by  the  howls  of  wolves, 
the  screams  of  panthers,  and  the  hoots  of 
horn-owls.  This  wild  but  beautiful  country 
was  the  inter-tribal  park  and  hunting-ground 

22 


THE   LIFE    OF    SEVIER  23 

of  the  Red  Man  of  the  forest.  Living 
among  these  mountains  as  the  Cherokee  did, 
we  do  not  wonder  that  he  left  us  so  many 
poetical  names.  Think  of  the  sweetness  of 
sound  in  the  name  Watauga. 

The  taste  and  disposition  of  the  Indians  dif 
fered  from  those  of  the  white  men.  They 
were  naturally  very  fond  of  athletic  games ; * 
they  enjoyed  foot-racing  and  wrestling,  and 
dancing  was  a  favorite  pastime.  The  war- 
dance  was  usually  indulged  in  before  going 
upon  the  war-path.  One  of  their  most  popu 
lar  games  was  played  with  balls  and  rackets, 
somewhat  like  the  modern  game  of  lacrosse. 
The  ball,  usually  about  the  size  of  a  base 
ball,  was  made  of  deer-skin,  stuffed  hard  wTith 
hair.  This  ball  was  knocked  by  rackets  made 
of  sticks  about  two  feet  long,  strung  with 
raw-hide.  The  game  was  sometimes  played 
by  select  players,  but  often  by  all  the  young 
men  of  a  village.  One  village  frequently 
played  against  another,  or  one  tribe  strove 
for  the  championship  against  another  tribe. 
When  they  came  together  at  the  appointed 
time  and  place,  every  player  arrayed  in  his 
best,  they  found  great  crowds  of  spectators 
assembled  to  see  the  contest.  All  things  be 
ing  ready,  the  game  was  ushered  in  by  sol- 
1  Bartram,  Adair. 


24  THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

emn  dances  and  religious  ceremonies.  Dur 
ing  the  game  a  successful  hit  was  followed 
by  loud  applause  from  the  enthusiastic 
crowd.  The  excited  players  often  rushed 
together  in  a  scrimmage,  each  side  eager  to 
win,  and  one  or  two  players  came  out  of  the 
contest  with  broken  bones.  All  these  games 
and  sports  helped  to  develop  the  fine  physique 
of  the  Indian  warrior. 

Many  tribes  claimed  access  to  the  common 
hunting-ground,  but  no  tribe  dared  to  make 
a  home  within  its  boundaries,  lest  the  other 
tribes  combine  for  its  complete  extermination. 
The  particular  tribes  claiming  an  interest  in 
the  coveted  hunting-ground  were  the  Creek, 
the  Chickasaw,  the  Uchee,  the  Shawnee,  the 
Chickamauga,  and  the  Cherokee.  The  last 
two  most  directly  concern  us  at  present. 

In  order  to  appreciate  the  peculiar  diffi 
culties  which  confronted  the  white  man  in 
his  attempts  to  settle  in  this  wilderness,  we 
shall  have  to  understand  the  fiery,  martial 
spirit  of  the  Cherokees  especially.  Their 
tribal  name  is  derived  from  Cheera,  which 
means  fire,  and  fire  is  regarded  their  lower 
heaven.  They  call  their  medicine  men 
Cheera-tahge,  or  the  men  possessed  of  di 
vine  fire.  Forty  years  before  the  break 
ing  out  of  the  Revolutionary  war,  this  pow- 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  25 

erful  tribe  had,  it  is  said,  sixty- four  towns ; 
and  old  traders  estimated  the  number  of  their 
warriors  to  be  above  six  thousand.  They 
liked  war  and  were  not  content  unless  en 
gaged  in  martial  conflicts.  In  reply  to  an 
earnest  appeal  of  the  white  people,  that  they 
establish  peace  between  themselves  and  the 
Tuscaroras,  they  said :  "  We  cannot  live 
without  war.  Should  we  make  peace  with 
the  Tuscaroras,  we  must  immediately  look 
out  for  some  other,  with  whom  we  can  be 
engaged  in  our  beloved  occupation."  They 
loved  a  brave  man  and  despised  a  coward. 

Speaking  of  the  Indian's  passion  for  re 
venge,  one  writer  has  said :  "  I  have  known 
them  to  go  a  thousand  miles  for  the  purpose 
of  revenge,  in  pathless  woods,  over  hills  and 
mountains,  through  large  cane-swamps  full 
of  grape-vines  and  briars,  over  broad  lakes, 
rapid  rivers,  and  deep  creeks;  all  the  way 
endangered  by  poisonous  snakes,  if  not  with 
the  rambling  and  lurking  enemy;  while,  at 
the  same  time,  they  were  exposed  to  the  ex 
tremities  of  heat  and  cold,  the  vicissitudes  of 
the  seasons,  to  hunger  and  thirst,  .  .  . 
to  fatigues  and  other  difficulties.  Such  is 
their  over-boiling  revengeful  temper,  that 
they  utterly  contemn  all  those  as  imaginary 
trifles,  if  they  are  so  happy  as  to  get  the 


26  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

scalps  of  the  murderer  or  enemy,  to  satisfy 
the  supposed  craving  ghost  of  their  deceased 
relations."  These  characteristics,  existing 
to  a  more  or  less  degree  in  all  Indians,  were 
fully  developed  in  the  Cherokee  and  the 
Chickamauga.  Intellectually,  the  Cherokee 
tribe  was  among  the  strongest  of  American 
tribes.  We  shall  learn  more  of  this  tribe, 
and  find  that  John  Sevier  was  perhaps  the 
only  man  on  the  frontier  who  could  outgen 
eral  its  cunning  warriors. 

The  English  pushed  into  this  romantic  re 
gion,  and  established  Fort  Loudon  in  1756. 
This  region  was  included  in  the  grant  which 
Charles  II.  made  in  1663  to  a  company  of 
men  called  Lords  Proprietors,  the  grant  in 
cluding  the  country  between  the  present 
States  of  Virginia  and  Florida,  and  extend 
ing  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific  ocean.  A 
small  settlement  sprang  up  under  the  protec 
tion  of  this  fort,  but  the  old  fort  has  a  sad 
story  to  tell. 

The  Cherokees  assisted  the  English  in 
their  second  expedition  against  the  French  at 
Fort  Duquesne,  which  brought  victory  and 
peace  to  the  English,  gaining  for  the  crown 
of  Great  Britain  the  Ohio  country  and  all  the 
territory  south  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  and  east 
2  Adair. 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  27 

of  the  Mississippi  River,  except  the  Isle  Or 
leans.  The  Indian  warriors  had  lost  many 
of  their  horses  in  this  expedition,  and,  as 
they  were  returning  to  their  homes,  they 
caught  some  horses  running  at  large  in  Vir 
ginia.  The  Virginians  became  offended  at 
the  Indians  and  killed  some  of  their  warriors, 
and  then  the  Cherokee  warriors,  of  course, 
desired  revenge.  Gathering  together  a  large 
band  of  warriors,  they  took  the  war-path  and 
in  1758  laid  siege  to  Fort  Loudon  under  the 
command  of  Captains  Demere  and  Stuart. 
The  whites  sent  out  for  help,  but  their  mes 
sengers  were  murdered  by  the  Indians.  A 
few  friendly  squaws  stole  in  by  a  secret  pas 
sage  at  night  with  a  small  supply  of  beans, 
but  this  was  not  sufficient  to  satisfy  their 
hunger,  and  the  starving  inmates  fell  to  eat 
ing  the  flesh  of  their  horses  and  dogs.  Fi 
nally  Captain  Stuart  went  to  Chota  to  ask  for 
terms.  It  was  agreed  that  the  whites  should 
abandon  the  fort,  with  its  guns  and  powder, 
and  return  to  their  homes  in  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina.  They  had  the  promise  of 
a  safe  passage  through  the  Indian  country 
under  the  protection  of  an  escort  of  Indian 
warriors.  They  encamped  the  night  after 
their  departure  near  an  Indian  village  on  the 
Tellico  plains.  The  next  morning  about  day- 


28  THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

light  a  band  of  infuriated  Cherokees  fell 
upon  them,  and  few  were  left  to  tell  the 
mournful  story  of  the  massacre  that  ensued. 
It  is  said  that  the  Indians  afterwards  made 
a  fence  of  the  bones  of  the  dead  white  men 
left  upon  the  plains  after  this  terrible  mas 
sacre. 

From  this  time  on,  the  Indians  were  very 
jealous  of  the  encroachments  of  the  white 
men  upon  their  lands,  but  traders  continued 
to  traffic  with  them,  and  hunters  and  trappers 
frequently  crossed  over  the  mountains,  ex 
ploring  and  hunting  in  the  new  country.  Re 
turning  to  the  East,  they  fascinated  their 
neighbors  with  glowing  descriptions  of  the 
magnificent  region.  Daniel  Boone,  the  cele 
brated  hunter  and  explorer,  wras  among  the 
first  to  explore  and  hunt  in  these  western 
wilds.  It  is  said  that  while  standing  on  the 
summit  of  the  Alleghanies,  facing  the  beauti 
ful  region  into  which  he  was  about  to  enter, 
he  exclaimed  to  his  companion :  "  I  am 
richer  than  the  man  in  Scripture  who  owned 
the  cattle  on  a  thousand  hills.  I  own  the 
wild  beasts  of  a  thousand  valleys." 

Boone  pushed  on  into  the  unexplored  wil 
derness,  hunting  the  wild  beasts  \vith  his 
flint-lock  rifle.  He  caused  the  light  of  his 
bravery  and  invincible  spirit  of  adventure  to 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  29 

illuminate  the  pathway  of  the  pioneer  when 
he  took  his  hunting-knife  and  carved  on  a 
large  beech-tree  standing  on  the  bank  of 
Boone's  Creek  the  inscription :  "  D  Boon 
Cilled  A  Bar  On  Tree  in  The  yEar  1760." 

Story  after  story  about  the  new  country 
was  related  till  it  became  common  talk  in  the 
towns  along  the  Atlantic.  After  the  French 
and  Indian  War,  a  few  people,  impelled  by 
British  tyranny  and  allured  by  hopes  of  ob 
taining  better  lands  and  more  independence, 
made  up  their  minds  to  move  into  the  new 
country.  The  French  had  told  the  Indians 
that  the  English,  if  victorious  in  gaining  pos 
session  of  the  territory  claimed  by  France, 
would  take  their  lands  from  them  and  de 
prive  them  of  their  hunting-grounds.  So, 
when  the  French  were  defeated,  the  Indians 
believed  that  the  English  would  next  fall 
upon  them  and  seize  their  hunting-grounds. 
To  quiet  their  apprehensions,  George  III.  of 
England  issued  a  proclamation  in  1/63  pro 
hibiting  any  private  purchase  of  land  by  any 
citizen  or  any  grant  of  lands,  by  any  gov 
ernor,  west  of  the  sources  of  the  streams 
which  flow  into  the  Atlantic.  He  also  said 
that  none  of  his  subjects  should  make  settle 
ments  on  individual  lands  west  of  the  sources 
of  these  streams. 


30  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

This  order  of  the  king  prevented  many 
people  from  settling  in  the  fertile  region  ex 
plored  by  Boone  and  his  companions,  but  the 
thrilling  stories  stirred  the  adventurous  spirit 
of  a  few  pioneers  who  were  willing  to  risk 
the  king's  displeasure.  So  they  crossed  the 
mountains  and  made  their  settlements,  claim 
ing,  as  an  excuse  for  violating  the  proclama 
tion,  the  treaty  of  Fort  Stanwix,  a  treaty 
made  in  October,  1767,  which  fixed  a  bound 
ary  line  for  the  Indians  of  the  Six  Nations 
and  conceded  to  the  British  the  whole  coun 
try  south  of  the  Ohio  River. 

The  physical  formation  of  this  beautiful 
region  was  very  favorable  for  an  inflow  of 
immigration.  It  was  as  if  some  Titanic 
power  had  plowed  a  deep  furrow  in  the  mid 
dle  of  the  great  Alleghanies,  forming  the 
beautiful  long  valley  extending  from  Vir 
ginia  into  the  picturesque  region  explored  by 
Boone  and  others.  Along  this  valley  ran 
the  old  war-path  of  the  various  Indian 
tribes.  It  was  an  inviting  pathway  to  the 
Southwest,  and  it  received  the  impress  of 
some  of  the  best  families  of  Virginia. 

The  North  Holston  Settlement  was  founded 
in  what  is  now  Sullivan  County,  Tennes 
see.  The  leading  family  in  it  was  the  Shel 
bys.  General  Evan  Shelby,  who  settled  at 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  31 

King's  Meadows,  was  a  noted  Indian  fighter, 
and  his  son,  Colonel  Isaac  Shelby,  later 
fought  heroically  in  the  battle  of  King's 
Mountain.  In  Tennessee  the  family  name  is 
preserved  in  Shelby  County,  in  the  south 
western  part  of  the  State,  and  in  the  town 
of  Shelbyville,  the  county-seat  of  Bedford 
County,  near  the  center  of  the  State.  The 
Carter's  Valley  Settlement,  made  about 
1770,  was  in  what  is  now  Hawkins  County, 
Tennessee,  and  was  a  part  of  the  Virginia 
settlement  which  had  been  extended  down 
from  Wolf  Hills. 

The  most  noted  of  the  four  western  settle 
ments  was  the  one  made  at  Watauga,  on  the 
Watauga  River,  near  the  present  Elizabeth- 
ton,  Tennessee.  The  first  settler  was  Wil 
liam  Bean,  a  bold  hunter  from  Virginia,  who 
had  previously  hunted  with  Boone  in  this 
region.  Their  old  camping-ground  was  on 
Boone's  Creek,  a  tributary  of  Watauga 
River,  not  very  far  from  that  river,  and  in 
1769  Bean  built  his  hut  on  the  very  spot 
where  he  and  Boone  had  previously  camped 
together.  There  in  that  lonely  cabin  his  son, 
Russell  Bean,  was  born,  the  first  \vhite  child 
born  in  what  is  now  the  State  of  Tennessee. 
Other  people,  from  Virginia,  settled  near 
Bean's  cabin;  and,  soon  afterwards,  came 


32  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

many  settlers  from  Wake  County,  North 
Carolina,  in  search  of  homes,  many  of  whom, 
as  soldiers,  had  seen  the  rich  country  as  they 
went  to  the  relief  of  Fort  Loudon  in  1758. 

An  important  event  in  the  early  days  of 
Watauga  was  the  arrival  of  James  Robert 
son  in  the  spring  of  1770.  Though  he  came 
from  North  Carolina,  he  was  a  native  of 
Brunswick  County,  Virginia.  He  was  taci 
turn  and  thoughtful,  and  in  every  way  a  man 
well  suited  to  the  trying  position  which  he 
was  about  to  assume.  He  was  hospitably  en 
tertained  by  a  hunter  and  recent  settler  at 
Watauga  named  Honeycut  and  by  William 
Bean.  Deciding  at  once  to  make  his  home 
at  Watauga,  he  selected  and  cleared  a  spot 
of  ground  and  planted  and  raised  a  crop  of 
corn. 

After  harvesting  his  first  crop  of  corn, 
Robertson  set  out  for  North  Carolina  for  his 
family  and  a  few  neighbors  who  were  de 
sirous  of  moving  to  the  new  settlements.  On 
recrossing  the  mountains,  he  got  lost.  Wan 
dering  about  for  some  time,  he  came  to  a 
cliff  where  he  had  to  leave  his  horse.  Heavy 
showers  fell  and  drenched  his  powder  so  that 
he  could  not  kill  any  game  for  food.  For 
fourteen  days  he  trudged  about  in  the  moun- 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  33 

tains  without  anything  to  eat,  except  a  few 
nuts  and  berries,  and  became  so  weak  that  he 
despaired  of  ever  reaching  his  home  again. 
Accidentally  two  hunters  chanced  to  find  him. 
They  gave  him  food,  furnished  him  a  horse 
to  ride,  and  soon  he  returned  to  Watauga 
with  his  family  and  the  neighbors  he  had 
guided  to  their  new  homes. 

British  aggression  in  the  colonies  since  the 
French  and  Indian  war  had  been  arousing  the 
spirit  of  independence  and  resistance  and  now 
gave  a  new  impulse  to  immigration  into  this 
region  from  North  Carolina.  In  1771  this 
impetus  was  strengthened  by  the  defeat  of  the 
popular  uprising  in  the  eastern  colonies.  The 
Regulators,  citizens  banded  together  to  resist 
the  imposition  of  taxes  by  England,  and  the 
efforts  of  Governor  Tryon  to  impose  other 
taxes  for  the  building  of  an  executive  man 
sion,  were  defeated  in  the  battle  of  Alamance 
on  the  1 6th  of  May  and  forced  into  retreat 
before  the  royal  troops.  They  were  not 
cowed  by  their  defeat,  however,  these  North 
Carolinians ;  "  like  the  mammoth,  they  shook 
the  bolt  from  their  brow  and  crossed 
the  mountain  "  and  were  received  with  glad 
ness  by  the  settlers  at  Watauga.  With  this 
voluntary  exile  to  the  western  wilds  began 


34  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

the  exodus  from  North  Carolina  which 
swelled  the  population  of  the  little  settle 
ment,  and  gave  the  Wataugans  a  prominent 
place  in  history. 

In  1772  Jacob  Brown  settled  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  Nolichucky  River,  founding  the 
second  south  Holston,  or  Nolichucky  Settle 
ment,  which  was  one  of  the  most  noted  of 
the  western  settlements.  By  the  Indians  the 
river  was  called  Nonachunheh,  which  means 
rapid  or  precipitous.  This  beautiful  river 
rises  high  up  in  the  Alleghanies  and  flows 
down  the  mountain  side  through  scenery 
beautiful  beyond  description.  Brown  was  a 
merchant,  and  in  exchange  for  the  small  store 
of  goods  brought  with  him  on  a  single  pack- 
horse,  he  secured  the  lease  of  a  large  tract 
of  land  from  the  Cherokees.  He  afterwards 
leased  portions  of  his  land  to  other  settlers, 
thus  making  considerable  profits. 

The  persecuted  people  living  on  the  At 
lantic  seaboard  were  glad  to  find  such  a  re 
treat,  and  the  settlements  were  thronged  with 
people  of  the  best  blood  of  North  Carolina 
and  Virginia.  Here  they  felt  secure  from 
the  oppression  of  the  colonial  government. 
Living  in  the  shadow  of  the  Alleghanies  as 
they  did,  we  do  not  wonder  that  the  love  of 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER  35 

freedom  swelled  every  man's  bosom;  and 
it  is  not  surprising  to  see  them  rise  up  from 
their  mountain  homes,  like  the  Swiss,  when 
the  time  came  to  strike  a  blow  for  freedom 
and  independence. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE    WATAUGA    ASSOCIATION 

ANGLO-SAXONS  have  always  been  charac 
terized  by  a  love  of  law  and  order  and  free 
institutions.  The  settlements  on  the  banks 
of  the  Watauga  lay  in  the  red  man's  Garden 
of  Eden,  and  peace  and  friendship  prevailed 
in  every  cabin  till  fugitives  from  justice 
crept  into  the  new  settlements,  fugitives 
from  the  States  along  the  Atlantic.  Then 
the  settlers  felt  the  need  of  a  fixed  system 
of  government,  by  which  violations  of  the 
law  could  be  punished.  They  were  too  far 
back  in  the  wilderness  to  be  under  the  imme 
diate  protection  of  either  North  Carolina  or 
Virginia,  and,  as  they  could  not  live  peaceably 
and  prosperously  without  courts  to  regulate 
their  affairs,  the  demands  of  the  people  be 
came  greater  with  the  rapid  increase  of  popu 
lation. 

Imagine  the  critical  condition  of  these  set 
tlements.  When  they  first  settled  on  the 
banks  of  the  Watauga,  they  thought  they 
36 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER  37 

were  within  the  bounds  of  Virginia;  but,  in 

1771,  the  boundary  line  between  North  Car 
olina  and  Virginia  was  surveyed  from  Steep 
Rock  to  Beaver  Creek,  and,  much  to  the  dis 
appointment  of  the  Wataugans,   it  was  dis 
covered  that  the   settlements  were   in   North 
Carolina.      Virginia   at   once   made   a   treaty 
with    the    Cherokees,    making    the    boundary 
line   of   their    lands    identical   with   the    new 
State  line.     The  settlers  could  no  longer  rely 
upon  Virginia  for  protection ;  they  were  be 
yond   the   reach   of   the   authority   of   North 
Carolina    and    living    on    Indian    lands    con 
trolled  by  the  King  of  England;  the  King's 
proclamation  forbade  their  purchasing  any  of 
the    land    upon    which    they   had    built    their 
cabins  and  lawless  bands  of  fugitives  and  out 
laws   from  the   seaboard   annoyed   them   day 
and  night.     The  whole  situation  was  distress 
ing  in  the  extreme,  and  the  prospects  became 
still   more   gloomy,    when,    in   the   spring   of 

1772,  Alexander  Cameron,  British  Agent  of 
the  Southern  Indians,  warned  the  settlers  off 
the  Indian  lands. 

Fortunately,  the  Cherokees  had  been  en 
gaged  in  war  with  the  Creeks  and  Chicka- 
saws  so  incessantly  that  their  ranks  were 
thinned  and  their  martial  spirits  quieted  for 
a  time.  Having  been  terribly  beaten  by  the 


38  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

Chickasaws,  they  were  in  a  state  of  mind  to 
be  friendly  toward  the  settlers,  and  they  even 
expressed  a  desire  that  the  settlers  be  allowed 
to  remain  in  their  new  homes,  provided,  of 
course,  they  would  not  make  any  further  en 
croachments. 

This  act  of  kindness  on  the  part  of  the 
Cherokees  gave  some  relief  to  the  settlers, 
who  were  determined  to  remain  in  their  cab 
ins,  for  the  hardships  of  the  frontier-life  did 
not  affect  them  as  much  as  the  acts  of  the 
English  authorities  east  of  the  Alleghanies. 
Finally  they  decided  to  form  a  free  govern 
ment  of  their  own,  and  in  1772  came  to 
gether  to  try  their  hands  at  commonwealth- 
building.  The  meeting  was  held  at  Watauga. 
They  drew  up  and  adopted  the  "  Articles  of 
the  Watauga  Association,"  and  formed  the 
first  written  constitution  ever  adopted  by 
American-born  freemen.  They  incorporated 
such  of  the  laws  of  Virginia  as  they  deemed 
sufficient  to  carry  on  their  little  common 
wealth  successfully,  and  every  man  in  the 
little  settlement  signed  the  constitution.  A 
committee  of  thirteen  was  elected  to  make 
such  additional  laws  as  the  welfare  of  the 
settlement  required.  This  committee  ap 
pointed  five  commissioners  from  their  own 
number  to  settle  disputes,  punish  offenders, 


THE  LIFE   OF   SEVIER  39 

and  perform  the  legal  business  common  to 
the  courts.  Thus  law  and  order  were  es 
tablished,  and  the  people  began  to  prosper 
under  their  free  government.  A  whipping 
post  was  established  for  the  punishment  of 
offenders,  and  graver  offences  were  punished 
by  hanging.  As  an  example  of  the  prompt 
action  and  unfaltering  determination  of 
these  pioneers  in  putting  down  crime,  we  find 
on  record  the  case  of  a  horse-thief,  who  was 
captured  on  Monday,  given  a  fair  trial  on 
Wednesday,  and  hanged  on  Friday  of  the 
same  week.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the 
articles  of  this  association  have  not  been  pre 
served.  Doctor  Ramsey  claims  that  John 
Sevier  was  elected  by  the  Watauga  settlers 
as  one  of  the  thirteen  commissioners ;  he  be 
lieves,  also,  that  Sevier  was  chosen  as  one 
of  the  committee  of  five  to  act  as  a  court.1 
It  is  true  that  Sevier  was  at  Watauga  in 
1772,  the  year  the  Watauga  Association  was 
formed,  but  it  seems  rather  strange  that  they 
should  choose  him,  as  he  was  a  stranger  and 
there  on  an  exploring  trip  only.  As  Sevier 
did  not  move  into  these  settlements  until  De 
cember  25,  1773,  he  certainly  was  not  in  a 
position  to  render  the  Association  any  service 
for  more  than  a  year. 
1  Ramsey's  "  Annals  of  Tennessee,"  p.  107. 


40  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

The  people  next  turned  their  attention  to 
the  question  of  leasing1  land  from  the  Indians. 
The  king's  proclamation  prevented  the  pur 
chase  of  land,  but  the  pioneers  reasoned  that 
if  they  only  leased  the  lands  for  a  specific 
period  of  time  that  would  not  be  in  violation 
of  the  king's  proclamation  and  would  suit 
them  much  better  than  returning  to  the  un 
happy  conditions  in  the  States  which  they  had 
just  left.  John  Boone  and  James  Robertson 
were  selected  by  the  settlers  to  negotiate  with 
the  Indians.  Many  of  the  chiefs  and  war 
riors  assembled  near  Watauga  and  leased  to 
the  white  men  for  ten  years  all  the  lands  on 
the  waters  of  the  Watauga,  the  Indians  re 
ceiving  for  the  lease  five  or  six  thousand  dol 
lars'  worth  of  merchandise,  including  a  few 
muskets. 

In  the  midst  of  the  celebration  which  fol 
lowed  the  successful  negotiation  of  the  lease, 
there  was  an  important  occurrence  that 
came  near  being  attended  with  serious  con 
sequences.  Some  lawless  intruders  upon  the 
settlements,  men  from  Wolf  Hills,  Virginia, 
it  is  supposed,  killed  one  of  the  Indians  who 
was  taking  part  in  the  sports  held  in  celebra 
tion  of  the  cordial  relations  established  be 
tween  the  Indians  and  the  white  men.  To 
the  Cherokees  this  seemed  a  serious  breach 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  41 

of  faith.  All  their  war  spirit  was  aroused. 
To  the  great  alarm  of  the  settlers,  they  im 
mediately  left  the  settlement  with  the  mer 
chandise  assigned  to  them  as  consideration 
for  their  lease,  and  showed  every  sign  of 
seeking  revenge  for  the  affront  that  had  been 
offered  them  in  the  slaying  of  one  of  their 
number. 

The  occasion  demanding  immediate  action 
on  the  part  of  the  settlers,  James  Robert 
son  went  to  the  Indian  towns;  a  distance  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  in  order  to  pac 
ify  the  warriors  and  again  secure  their  friend 
ship.  Explaining  to  the  head-men  that  the 
crime  was  committed  by  an  outlaw  from  Vir 
ginia,  and  that  the  Wataugans  intended  to 
punish  the  culprit  if  they  could  lay  hands  on 
him,  the  chiefs  and  warriors  were  satisfied 
and  were  again  ready  to  smoke  the  pipe  of 
peace  with  their  white  brother.  The  journey 
was  an  extremely  hazardous  one,  but  the 
safety  of  the  settlements  demanded  it.  Rob 
ertson  was,  therefore,  ever  afterwards  held 
in  especial  esteem  for  the  noble  service  to  his 
fellow-settlers. 

Sevier's  life  as  a  small  merchant  at  New 
Market  and  subsequently  at  Millerstown  was 
rather  too  monotonous  for  his  active,  restless 
nature,  and  he  longed  for  more  stirring 


42  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

scenes.  He  had  listened  eagerly  to  the 
stories  of  the  adventurers  and  settlers  on  the 
Holston  and  the  Watauga,  he  had  heard 
much  of  the  rich  soil  of  the  well-watered 
region,  and  he  longed  to  visit  the  new  set 
tlements.  So,  arming  himself  and  mounting 
his  favorite  horse,  he  took  leave  of  his  family 
at  Millerstown  and  went  out  to  Holston 
River  in  1771  on  an  exploring  trip,  passing 
the  mouth  of  the  Watauga  River.2  He  was 
so  delighted  with  the  country,  the  wild  game, 
and  the  rich  soil  that  he  came  again  in  1772. 
This  time  he  visited  the  settlers  at  Watauga, 
probably  about  the  time  of  the  establishment 
of  the  Watauga  Association,  and  formed  a 
life-long  friendship  with  Robertson,  Bean, 
Honeycut,  and  others  of  like  prominence  in 
the  settlement. 

Having  thus  seen  much  of  the  frontier, 
Sevier  decided  to  settle  at  Holston,  as  that 
settlement  seemed  to  present  the  most  favor 
able  prospects.  He  built  his  cabin  about  one 
mile  north  of  the  Holston  River  and  returned 
to  Virginia  for  his  family.  He  carried  the 
news  of  his  plan  to  his  father  and  mother 
and  brothers  and  sisters,  and  all,  without 
hesitation,  decided  to  move  into  the  same 
country  with  him.  It  is  quite  probable  that 
2  Draper  MSS. 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  43  • 

John's  brother,  Valentine,  was  with  him  on 
the  former's  first  exploring  trip,  as  he  was 
the  first  of  the  Sevier  family  to  move  to  the 
new  settlements,  having  moved  there  with  his 
family  in  1772. 

In  December,  1773,  John  Sevier,  with  his 
own  family,  his  parents,  his  three  brothers, 
Robert,  Joseph,  and  Abraham — Valentine 
having  preceded  them — and  his  two  sisters, 
Polly  and  Catherine,  took  his  departure  from 
his  Virginia  home,  from  the  hills  and  val 
leys  where  the  happiest  part  of  his  youth  was 
spent,  and  began  the  slow,  fatiguing  journey 
towards  his  new  home.  He  had  certainly 
not  lost  his  interest  in  the  mercantile  business, 
for  he  brought  with  him  a  store  of  goods 
on  pack-horses. 

On  Christmas  day,  1773,  the  Seviers  came 
to  the  end  of  their  journey,  and  each  family 
went  to  its  own  cabin.  Seviers  parents  fin 
ally  settled  upon  a  rich  tract  of  land  near 
Watauga.  His  father's  subsequent  life  was 
one  of  great  industry  and  influence.  He 
lived  to  the  ripe  old  age  of  one  hundred 
years,  dying  in  Carter's  City  on  Friday,  De 
cember  30,  i8o3-3 

It  has  been  a  subject  of  speculation  as  to 
Sevier's  motive  in  removing  to  these  extreme 
3  Draper  MSS. 


44  THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

frontier  settlements.  He  had  explored  the 
country  before  deciding  to  remove,  and  no 
doubt  foresaw  the  possibilities  in  the  devel 
opment  of  the  great  Southwest.  He  felt  too, 
perhaps,  that  there  was  promise  of  future 
distinction  for  him  in  the  new  country. 

A  look  into  those  western  settlements  will 
show  us  many  strange  sights.  The  people 
were  hardy,  resolute,  fearless;  they  expected 
to  face  dangers  and  endure  hardships.  The 
cabins  were  very  rude  in  appearance,  com 
fort  being  the  chief  aim  of  the  builders. 
Built  of  logs  cut  from  the  forests,  these  cab 
ins  were  made  strong  to  resist  the  sieges  of 
the  Indians,  having  port-holes  through  which 
the  occupants  could  aim  their  flint-locks  in 
case  of  an  attack.  The  planks  for  the  doors 
and  floors  were  hewn  with  the  broad-ax,  the 
windows  had  no  glass  and  were  fitted  with 
wooden  shutters,  the  chimney  was  naturally 
"stick  and  dirt,"  but  was  sometimes  built  of 
rough  stone,  and  the  fire-place  was  wide  and 
held  a  great  quantity  of  wood.  Most  of  the 
furniture  was  home-made,  but  sometimes  a 
chair,  table,  or  stool  imported  from  England 
was  brought  into  the  settlement.  Every 
household  had  a  spinning-wheel  and  a  loom 
which  the  women  used  very  skilfully  in  the 
manufacture  of  cloth.  At  night  the  cabin 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER  45 

was  lighted  by  the  candle.  The  men,  return 
ing  from  the  fields  or  from  the  hunt,  tired 
and  hungry,  ate  with  thankful  hearts  the 
plain  healthful  meals  set  before  them.  After 
supper,  the  family  spent  the  first  hours  of 
the  night  in  conversation  and  story-telling. 
Sometimes,  during  the  autumn  months,  they 
spent  the  hours  profitably  by  spinning  thread, 
weaving  cloth,  and  making  shoes  to  keep 
themselves  comfortable  during  the  winter.  If 
there  were  no  other  amusements  for  the  chil 
dren,  the  grandfather  or  grandmother  nar 
rated  interesting  stories  to  them  till  bed-time. 

The  people  were  cheerful.  The  brisk,  pure 
air  was  Nature's  tonic  and  they  partook 
freely.  Their  social  gatherings  kept  them  in 
a  pleasant  humor  towards  each  other.  The 
men  and  boys  delighted  in  shooting-matches, 
corn-huskings,  horse-races,  bear-hunts,  and 
deer-drives;  the  women  often  came  together 
at  quilting  bees  and  spent  many  a  pleasant 
hour  together.  Occasionally  the  young  peo 
ple  met  at  night  in  social  gatherings  and  en 
joyed  their  games  and  sports,  sometimes 
dancing  to  the  music  of  the  fiddle. 

Their  style  of  dress  is  interesting.  The 
men  and  boys  wore  short  pantaloons,  leather 
leggings  reaching  above  the  knees,  and  the 
famous  hunting-shirts.  These  hunting-shirts, 


46  THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

made  sometimes  of  heavy  cloth,  but  usually 
of  deer-skin,  were  worn  over  the  other  cloth 
ing.  They  were  cut  and  made  like  ordinary 
shirts,  but  were  open  their  entire  length,  and 
were  girt  with  belts,  in  which  were  carried 
the  hunting-knife  and  the  tomahawk. 

On  his  first  appearance  among  the  settlers 
of  North  Holston  and  Watauga,  Sevier  at 
tracted  considerable  attention  on  account  of 
his  handsome  face,  manly  bearing  and  re 
markably  winning  manners.  No  man  ever 
had  a  more  symmetrical,  well-knit  frame.  He 
was  five  feet  nine  inches  in  height  and 
weighed  one  hundred  and  ninety  pounds.4 
His  complexion  was  ruddy,  indicating  his 
perfect  health;  he  had  small,  keen,  dark-blue 
eyes,  expressive  of  vivacity  and  fearlessness; 
his  nose  was  prominent;  his  mouth  and  chin, 
the  model  of  firmness;  his  hair,  fair,  and  his 
face  was  expressive  of  sympathy  for  human 
ity.  His  wonderful  personal  magnetism  at 
tracted  the  friendship  of  all. 

Immigration  continued  to  pour  into  the 
new  settlements,  and  business  among  the  set 
tlers  gradually  increased,  and  Sevier's  little 
store  helped  to  supply  the  people  with  goods. 
The  peltries  he  bartered  were  sent  on  pack- 
horses  to  eastern  markets  and  exchanged  for 
*  Draper  MSS. 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  47 

goods  for  his  store.  He  was  scarcely  settled 
in  his  mercantile  business,  however,  when  in 
1774  a  quarrel  arose  between  Lord  Dunmore 
and  the  Shawnees.  Thus  far  Sevier  had  not 
distinguished  himself  as  a  warrior  among  the 
western  settlers.  He  was  better  known  as  a 
useful  citizen  and  business  man,  but  his  fame 
as  an  Indian  fighter  in  his  younger  days  on 
the  Virginia  frontiers  had  doubtless  reached 
the  Wataugans.  Indeed  he  was  not  unknown 
to  Lord  Dunmore,  the  royal  governor  of  Vir 
ginia,  who  was  so  impressed  with  his  bravery 
that  he  appointed  him  captain  in  the  Vir 
ginia  line,  at  the  outbreak  of  the  war  with 
the  Shawnees. 


CHAPTER   IV 

THE   FIGHTING   HEROES   OF   WATAUGA 

THE  battle  of  the  great  Kanawha,  fought 
October  loth,  1774,  was  one  of  the  most 
sanguinary  and  hotly  contested  battles  in  the 
annals  of  Indian  warfare;  and  it  is  especially 
interesting  to  us  because  in  it  the  Wataugans 
first  showed  to  the  world  their  wonderful 
skill  in  battle. 

The  Shawnees,  becoming  greatly  enraged 
at  the  surveyors  sent  out  from  Virginia  to 
mark  out  lands  given  under  royal  grants  and 
military  warrants,  murdered  several  of  them. 
Lord  Dunmore,  the  royal  governor  of  Vir 
ginia,  at  once  declared  war  against  the  Shaw 
nees.  Hence  the  war  is  sometimes  known,  as 
Lord  Dunmore's  War. 

Open  hostilities  had  already  begun  in  Octo 
ber,  1773,  when  a  war-party  of  Indians  at 
tacked  Boone  and  his  companions,  who  were 
enroute  to  Kentucky  in  search  of  homes.  Be 
fore  this  time  no  wonien  and  children  of  the 
white  race  had  ever  crossed  the  Cumberland 
48 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  49 

Mountains.  Boone  had  induced  several  fam 
ilies  to  join  in  the  journey  with  him  and  his 
family,  and  the  party  was  moving  on  slowly 
towards  the  Cumberland  Gap.  \Yhen  they 
reached  Powell's  Valley,  they  were  joined  by 
forty  bold  hunters.  The  company,  now  eighty 
in  all,  moved  onward,  wending  their  way 
through  the  rugged  mountain  passes  with  a 
feeling  of  greater  safety,  but  on  October  5th, 
while  passing  through  a  narrow,  rocky  defile, 
they  were  assaulted  by  a  band  of  Indians  ly 
ing  in  ambush.  At  the  flash  of  the  Indians' 
first  fire,  six  white  men  fell  and  a  seventh  was 
wounded.  Among  the  killed  was  a  son  of 
Boone,  about  twenty  years  of  age.  Some  of 
the  hunters  hurried  to  the  rescue  of  the 
women  and  children ;  the  others  quickly  put 
the  Indians  to  flight.  Boone  and  his  party 
then  fell  back  to  Watauga,  where  they  re 
mained  till  the  close  of  the  war.  They  then 
pushed  on  into  Kentucky  and  made  their  set 
tlements. 

Almost  daily  deeds  of  violence  were  com 
mitted.  Murder  followed  murder,  and  doubt 
less  wrongs  were  committed  on  both  sides, 
through  misunderstandings  or  otherwise. 
Butler,  a  trader  with  the  Indians,  was  robbed 
of  his  peltries  by  the  Cherokees.  He  sent  two 
friendly  Shawnees  to  recover  his  peltries,  but 


50  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

they  were  ambushed  and  killed  by  white  men, 
probably  through  a  mistake,  an  outrage  which 
met  with  the  severest  disapproval  of  the  better 
class  of  pioneers. 

A  party  of  Indians,  including  the  family  of 
Logan,  a  famous  Iroquois  warrior  and  chief, 
noted  especially  for  his  friendliness  to  the 
white  men,  crossed  the  river  on  a  visit  to  Mr. 
Greathouse.  The  simple-minded  savages  were 
intoxicated  with  liquor  and  massacred  by 
Greathouse  and  others.  The  unfortunate 
Logan,  manly  and  dignified  in  appearance, 
was  a  noted  hunter  and  a  skilful  marksman. 
On  his  face  was  stamped  nobility  of  charac 
ter.  He  was  declared  by  one  white  hunter  to 
be  the  best  specimen  of  humanity  he  ever  met 
with,  either  white  or  red.  But  the  murder  of 
his  kinsmen  aroused  the  rage  of  Logan,  and 
led  him  to  relinquish  all  love  and  friendship 
for  the  white  men,  and  to  do  all  he  could  to 
destroy  them. 

The  acts  committed  against  the  Indians  by 
a  few  unprincipled  white  men  were  often  un 
just,  but  the  Indians  committed  graver  crimes 
by  murdering  helpless  women  and  children, 
and  certainly  deserved  the  fate  they  met  in 
Dunmore's  War.  Several  other  tribes  joined 
the  Shawnees  in  their  awful  deeds  of  slaugh 
ter,  and  the  war  extended  the  length  of  the 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  51 

frontier.  The  pioneers  rushed  eagerly  to 
Dunmore's  army  for  the  protection  of  their 
homes. 

The  army  of  the  white  men  marched  in 
two  wings,  the  right  wing  being  commanded 
by  Dunmore  himself,  and  the  left  by  General 
Andrew  Lewis.  The  two  wings  were  to  unite 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Great  Kanawha  River. 

Dunmore  led  his  wing  to  Fort  Pitt,  where 
he  foolishly  changed  his  plans,  abandoning  the 
scheme  agreed  upon  by  him  and  Lewis,  and 
took  his  army  down  the  Ohio  in  boats  and 
canoes  to  the  mouth  of  the  Hockhocking. 
Thence  he  went  to  the  Scioto  and  fortified 
himself.  Lewis  met  his  men  at  the  levels  of 
the  Greenbrier.  Each  had  done  what  he 
could  in  this  hasty  preparation  for  war. 

Impatient  for  action,  General  Lewis  did 
not  wait  for  all  his  men  to  arrive,  but  marched 
on  to  the  mouth  of  Elk  Creek,  which  empties 
into  the  Great  Kanawha,  and  set  to  work  mak 
ing  dug-out  canoes  to  descend  that  river. 

Meanwhile  John  Sevier  had  not  been  idle. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  active  in  raising  men, 
provisions,  arms,  and  ammunition  for  the 
war,  but  he  thought  it  wise  to  remain  at  Wa- 
tauga  to  defend  the  settlers  against  any  In 
dian  attack  that  might  be  made  in  the  ab 
sence  of  the  volunteers.  Captain  Shelby 


52  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

commanded  the  company  of  fifty  or  more 
brave  men,  among  whom  was  Valentine  Se- 
vier,  raised  at  Watauga.  He  joined  the 
regiment  of  Colonel  Christian  on  New  River; 
and  outtraveling  the  regiment,  hastened  on 
with  his  company  to  the  army  of  General 
Lewis  on  the  Great  Kanawha. 

By  the  first  of  October,  the  army  of  Gen 
eral  Lewis  began  to  move  down  the  river.  A 
part  of  the  soldiers  descended  the  river  in 
canoes,  while  the  other  division  went  by  land, 
all  reaching  the  mouth  of  the  river  on  the 
6th  of  October.  Though  in  good  spirits  and 
anxious  for  battle,  some  of  the  soldiers  were 
not  satisfied  with  their  rations,  claiming  that 
favoritism  was  shown  in  the  issue  of  beef; 
and  select  parties  of  hunters  went  into  the 
woods  each  day  to  kill  game  for  meat. 

Affairs  in  camp  went  on  wrell  for  awhile, 
but,  on  the  Qth,  Simon  Girty  arrived  with  a 
message  from  Dunmore,  ordering  Lewis  to 
break  up  camp  and  join  him  near  Pickaway 
Plains.  General  Lewis  was  not  pleased  with 
the  change,  but  decided  to  comply  with  the 
order  next  morning.  That  night,  while  the 
soldiers  slept,  the  old  Shawnee  Chief,  Corn 
stalk,  was  busy  ferrying  his  men  over  the 
river  on  rafts  some  six  or  eight  miles  above 
them,  coming  to  make  an  attack  upon  Lewis. 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER  53 

On  the  morning  of  the  loth,  small  parties 
went  out  to  hunt  game  for  breakfast,  and  two 
men  from  Russell's  company,  breasting  the 
woods  not  far  apart,  came  suddenly  upon 
Cornstalk's  warriors,  nearly  a  thousand 
strong,  marching  in  the  direction  of  the  camp 
of  General  Lewis.  Russell's  men  saw  the 
warriors  first  and  fired.  The  Indians  re 
turned  the  fire,  killing  one  of  the  men.  The 
other  man  ran  into  the  camp.  The  echo  of 
the  first  fire  had  scarcely  died  away  when 
Valentine  Sevier  and  James  Robertson  also 
fired  and  fled  to  camp,  reaching  it  about  as 
soon  as  the  other  refugee. 

Drum-beats  aroused  the  slumbering  sol 
diers.  Two  detachments,  under  command  of 
Colonel  Charles  Lewis  and  Colonel  William 
Fleming,  were  ordered  out  to  check  the  ad 
vancing  foe.  The  two  armies  met  in  the 
dense  forest  about  sunrise,  and  battle  ensued. 
The  wild  war-whoops  of  the  Indians  and  the 
sharp  cracks  of  the  pioneers'  rifles  filled  the 
brisk  morning  air  with  a  deafening  noise 
which  convinced  General  Lewis  that  a  strong 
force  of  the  enemy  was  at  hand.  He,  there 
fore,  hurried  Colonel  Fields,  with  two  hun 
dred  men,  into  the  battle. 

The  contest  lasted  all  day ;  all  day  the  armies 
surged  to  and  fro,  the  grim-visaged  warriors 


54  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

yelling  themselves  hoarse.  The  situation  taxed 
the  genius  of  General  Lewis,  and  the  chance 
of  victory  seemed  uncertain.  In  the  after 
noon  he  ordered  Captains  Shelby,  Stewart, 
and  Matthews  to  move  their  companies  up 
the  Kanawha  and  fire  upon  the  Indians 
from  the  rear.  As  they  were  passing 
along  the  bank  of  the  river,  they  were 
fired  upon  by  some  Indians  concealed  behind 
a  breast-work  of  logs  and  brush.  The  pas 
sage  was  difficult  on  account  of  the  wither 
ing  fire  from  the  ambush,  but  John  Sawyer, 
one  of  Shelby's  men,  took  a  few  riflemen  and 
made  a  gallant  charge  upon  the  Indians.  The 
warriors  fled,  and  three  pioneer  companies 
gained  the  rear  and  poured  a  shower  of  lead 
into  the  ranks  of  the  Indians,  forcing  them 
into  a  hasty  retreat.  Again  they  halted  in  an 
other  position,  sheltered  by  a  dense  under 
growth,  and  kept  up  an  occasional  firing  till 
nightfall,  when  they  recrossed  the  river  and 
hastened  to  their  towns  on  the  Scioto. 

Thus  ended  the  bloody  battle.  The  Watau- 
gans  had  behaved  themselves  well  in  the  whole 
engagement.  It  was  their  vigilance  that  dis 
covered  the  advancing  enemy  and  sounded  the 
alarm  of  danger,  and  it  was  the  gallant  charge 
of  Shelby's  men  that  turned  the  tide  of  battle 
and  brought  victory  to  the  white  men. 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  55 

Peace  was  established  with  the  Shawnees, 
but  the  brave  Logan  was  absent  from  the 
council  at  which  the  pipe  of  peace  was  smoked. 
He  was  so  hurt  over  the  murder  of  his  fam 
ily  and  kin  that  he  did  not  feel  disposed  to 
attend,  but  he  sent  the  following  pathetic,  yet 
truly  eloquent,  message  on  paper  to  Lord 
Dunmore : 

"  I  appeal  to  any  white  man  to  say,  if  ever 
he  entered  Logan's  cabin  hungry  and  he  gave 
him  not  meat;  if  ever  he  came  cold  and  naked 
and  he  clothed  him  not?  During  the  course 
of  the  last  long  and  bloody  war,  Logan  re 
mained  idle  in  his  camp,  an  advocate  for 
peace.  Such  was  my  love  for  the  whites  that 
my  countrymen  pointed  as  I  passed  and  said, 
*  Logan  is  the  friend  of  the  white  man.'  I 
had  even  thought  to  have  lived  with  you  but 
for  the  injuries  of  one  man,  Colonel  Cresap, 
the  last  spring,  in  cold  blood  and  unprovoked, 
murdered  all  the  relations  of  Logan,  not  even 
sparing  my  women  and  children.  There  runs 
not  a  drop  of  my  blood  in  the  veins  of  any 
living  creature.  This  called  on  me  for  re 
venge.  I  have  sought  it.  I  have  killed  many. 
I  have  fully  glutted  my  vengeance.  For  my 
country  I  rejoice  at  the  beams  of  peace;  but 
do  not  harbor  a  thought  that  mine  is  the  joy 
of  fear.  Logan  never  felt  fear.  He  will  not 


56  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

turn  on  his  heel  to  save  his  life.  Who  is  there 
to  mourn  for  Logan?  Not  one/'1 

The  Wataugans  returned  to  their  homes  and 
resumed  their  occupations.  Having  fought 
heroically,  they  now  rejoiced  over  the  victory 
and  many  a  household  was  stirred  by  the 
thrilling  stories  of  the  Kanawha. 

The  affairs  in  the  settlements  went  on  suc 
cessfully.  The  population  continued  to  in 
crease,  and  the  little  cabins  were  hives  of  in 
dustry.  No  drones  were  permitted  among 
them,  and  for  a  while  after  the  battle  of  Kan 
awha  the  settlers  followed  their  pursuits  in 
peace.  But  again  the  dark  clouds  of  war  be 
gan  to  rise  in  the  East,  and  the  affairs  of  the 
Wataugans  were  again  disturbed.  The  pow 
der-horn  and  the  flint-lock  rifle  were  again 
taken  from  the  rack;  the  sword  again  drawn 
from  the  scabbard;  and  the  drum-beats  for 
war  were  heard.  And  every  man  of  Anglo- 
Saxon  blood,  born  with  the  love  of  freedom 
and  unwilling  to  be  fettered  \vith  the  chain 
of  British  tyranny,  felt  in  every  fiber  the 
wrong  done  him  by  the  English  king. 

Within  a  little  more  than  a  century,  twenty- 
five  Navigation  Acts,  acts  unjust  to  the  Amer 
ican  colonists,  had  been  passed  by  the  British 
Parliament.  The  Colonists  were  compelled  to 

i  "  The  Winning  of  the  West,"  Vol.  I.  p.  288. 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  57 

ship  their  goods  in  English  vessels  to  English 
ports,  and  as  this  gave  the  English  the  monop 
oly  of  the  American  trade,  the  Colonists  soon 
became  resentful  of  such  unjust  legislation. 
Consequently  smuggling  became  so  prevalent 
in  New  England  that  "  Writs  of  Assistance  " 
were  issued  by  the  courts  of  the  king,  giving 
revenue  officers  the  right  to  enter  ware 
houses  and  dwellings  in  search  of  smuggled 
goods. 

The  continued  slave-trade  in  the  colonies 
carried  on  entirely  by  England  was  a  griev 
ous  annoyance  to  every  loyal  American.  The 
treaty  of  Utrecht,  in  1713,  gave  England  en 
tire  control  of  the  American  slave-trade;  as 
it  was  a  profitable  business,  she  would  not  al 
low  any  laws  to  go  into  effect  which  were 
made  by  her  subjects  to  prohibit  the  importa 
tion  of  slaves.  The  troubles  with  the  Indians 
had  been  caused  by  England's  bad  manage 
ment  or  entire  neglect.  The  inter-colonial 
wars  had  heaped  a  heavy  debt  upon  the  Crown, 
and  now  Parliament  passed  the  Stamp  Act 
with  the  intention  of  forcing  the  Colonists  to 
help  lift  the  debt,  claiming  as  their  justifica 
tion  that  the  Colonists  reaped  benefits  from 
the  wars. 

Opposition  to  British  aggression  arose  on 
every  side,  and  remonstrances  were  heard 


58  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

from  every  quarter.  Everywhere  the  trum 
pet-blasts  of  the  Revolution  were  sounded  by 
noble  patriots. 

"English  people  cannot  be  taxed,"  said 
Judge  Drayton  of  South  Carolina  in  charg 
ing  a  grand-jury,  "  nay,  they  cannot  be  bound 
by  any  law,  unless  by  their  consent,  expressed 
by  themselves  or  by  the  representatives  of 
their  own  election.  I  charge  you  to  do  your 
duty;  to  maintain  the  laws,  the  rights,  the 
constitution  of  your  own  country,  even  at  the 
hazard  of  your  lives  and  fortunes.  In  my 
judicial  character  I  know  no  law;  I  am  a 
servant,  not  to  the  king,  but  to  the  constitu 
tion." 

Doctor  Warren,  one  of  the  earliest  martyrs 
to  the  cause  of  liberty,  said:  "  It  is  the  united 
vcuce  of  America  to  preserve  their  freedom 
or  lose  their  lives  in  the  defence  of  it.  Their 
resolutions  are  not  the  effects  of  inconsiderate 
rashness,  but  the  sound  result  of  sober  inquiry 
and  deliberation.  I  am  convinced  that  the 
true  spirit  of  liberty  was  never  so  universally 
diffused  through  all  ranks  and  orders  of  peo 
ple  in  any  country  on  the  face  of  the  earth, 
as  it  now  is  through  all  North  America." 

Patrick  Henry,  as  he  stood  before  the  Vir 
ginia  Convention,  assembled  in  St.  John's 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  59 

Episcopal  Church,  Richmond,  sounded  the 
voice  of  prophecy  when  he  said,  "  The  next 
gale  that  sweeps  from  the  North  will  bring 
to  our  ears  the  clash  of  resounding  arms." 

That  prophecy  was  fulfilled  when,  on  the 
1 9th  of  April,  1775,  at  Concord  and  Lexing 
ton,  Massachusetts,  "  the  embattled  farmers 
stood,  and  fired  the  shot  heard  round  the 
world."  The  Revolution  had  begun.  Pa 
triots  throughout  the  colonies  enlisted  in  their 
country's  cause.  The  Continental  Congress 
proceeded  to  place  the  colonies  upon  a  war 
basis,  and,  by  the  election  of  General  George 
Washington  as  commander-in-chief  of  their 
armies,  gave  definite  form  and  organization 
to  their  resistance  to  British  aggression. 

The  patriots  in  North  Carolina  were  neither 
listless  nor  idle.  As  we  have  seen,  the  Regu 
lators  had  resisted  the  aggressions  of  Gov 
ernor  Tryon;  and,  in  the  May  following  the 
battles  of  Concord  and  Lexington,  and  be 
fore  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill,  the  people  of 
Mecklenburg  County,  North  Carolina,  meet 
ing  at  Charlotte,  the  county  seat,  adopted  cer 
tain  resolutions  which  were  a  vigorous  pro 
test  against  the  British  colonial  policy  as  ex 
hibited  in  North  Carolina,  and  which  were 
couched  in  language  subsequently  claimed  to 


60  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

have  been  the  original  of  the  famous  Declara 
tion  of  Independence.2 

A!s  has  been  already  noted,  British  aggres 
sions  in  North  Carolina  had  stimulated  emi 
gration  to  the  settlements  west  of  the  moun 
tains.  A  sturdy  class  of  patriots,  men  who 
preferred  the  hardships  of  the  wilderness  and 
perils  from  the  Indians  to  the  sacrifice  of  their 
freedom  in  the  more  favored  eastern  country, 
moved  to  the  new  settlements.  They  built 
their  cabins  in  the  shadows  of  the  great  moun 
tains  along  the  Holston,  the  Watauga,  and 
the  Nolichucky,  hoping  that  they  would  be 
able  to  enjoy  the  freedom  which  is  the  in 
heritance  of  every  Anglo-Saxon. 

But  the  Wataugans  had  no  intention  of  en 
joying  their  safety  in  their  secluded  frontier 
homes  regardless  of  the  dangers  encountered 
by  the  Americans  on  the  seaboard.  They 
fully  recognized  their  close  relationship  to 
the  patriots  of  the  colonies,  and,  when  the  first 
clash  of  arms  was  heard  from  the  North,  they 
espoused  the  cause  of  liberty  and  showed  their 
sympathy  with  that  cause  by  naming  their 

2  The  present  writer  has  no  intention  of  taking  either 
side  in  the  controversy  which  has  long  been  waged 
over  the  so-called  "  Mecklenburg  Declaration  of  In 
dependence."  Any  discussion  of  the  subject  would  be 
out  of  place  here.  The  reference  is  given  solely  to 
show  the  temper  of  the  North  Carolinians  at  that  time. 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  61 

country  Washington  District,  in  honor  of  the 
new  commander-in-chief.  Their  population 
had  grown  to  nearly  six  hundred,  and  they 
began  to  feel  strong  enough  to  render  assist 
ance  to  the  common  cause.  In  order  to  put 
themselves  in  a  position  to  render  greater 
service  to  their  country,  they  appealed  to 
North  Carolina  for  recognition.  The  peti 
tion  proved  successful;  in  the  following  year, 
Washington  District  became  Washington 
County,  and  the  laws  of  North  Carolina  were 
extended  to  its  courts. 

John  Sevier,  who  had  already  won  the  es 
teem  and  respect  of  his  neighbors,  and  two 
other  citizens  from  Watauga  were  chosen  as 
delegates  to  the  Constitutional  Convention 
which  met  at  Halifax,  North  Carolina,  No 
vember  12,  1776.  In  the  Declaration  of  Rights 
adopted  by  the  Convention,  we  find,  in  the 
clause  defining  the  State  limits,  this  sentence : 
"  That  it  shall  not  be  so  construed  as  to  pre 
vent  the  establishment  of  one  or  more  govern 
ments  westward  of  this  State,  by  consent  of 
the  Legislature."  This  clause,  introduced  by 
Sevier  himself,  shows  clearly  that  he  was  thus 
early  musing  a  project  for  founding  a  com 
monwealth  in  the  great  Mississippi  Valley. 


CHAPTER   V 

INDIAN    DISTURBANCES 

THE  British  Superintendent  of  Southern 
Indian  Affairs  at  this  time  was  John  Stuart, 
a  man  well  aware  of  the  opposition  to  British 
aggressions  developing  in  the  Watauga  settle 
ments  and  of  the  activity  of  the  Wataugans 
in  their  preparations  for  resistance.  To  de 
feat  these  preparations,  he  conceived  a  plan 
for  a  simultaneous  attack  of  the  British  and 
the  Indians  upon  the  Americans.  According 
to  this  plan,  Sir  Peter  Parker  was  to  capture 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  with  the  king's 
fleet,  and  land  an  army  here  under  Sir^Htenry 
Clinton,  to  sweep  everything  along  the  coast, 
while  the  Indians  were  to  fall  upon  the  fron 
tier  settlements.  The  plan  was  laid  before 
the  British  Cabinet  and  was  adopted  by  the 
British  Parliament  despite  the  opposition  of 
Lord  Chatham.  Alexander  Cameron,  a 
Scotchman,  and  a  subordinate  of  John  Stuart, 
was  sent  among  the  Indians  with  such  mer 
chandise  and  trinkets  as  would  appeal  to  them 
in  order  to  gain  their  sympathy  and  support. 
62 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  63 

News  of  the  British  war-plan  reached  the 
ears  of  Nancy  Ward,  a  Cherokee  squaw,  who 
was  well  known  to  the  settlers,  and  whose 
home  was  at  Echota,  the  chief  village  of  the 
Cherokees.  This  woman  was  the  prophetess 
of  the  Cherokees,  but  she  always  had  a  kindly 
feeling  for  the  white  people  and  befriended 
them  in  every  way  she  could.  Her  father  was 
an  English  officer,  and  her  mother  was  a  sis 
ter  of  the  Indian  chief,  Atta-culla-culla.  She 
sent  news  of  the  intended  attack  to  the  white 
men  by  her  old  friend  Isaac  Thomas,  a  trader, 
and  the  settlers  made  hasty  preparation  for 
defence. 

Though  most  of  the  western  settlers  were 
Whigs,  patriots  espousing  the  cause  of  the 
colonists,  it  was  rumored  among  the  Watau- 
gans  that  several  Tories,  as  those  in  sympathy 
with  the  British  were  called,  were  living  at 
Nolichucky.  Without  delay  a  large  number 
of  men  from  Holston,  Carter's  Valley,  and 
Watauga  went  to  Brown's  store  and  forced 
the  suspected  Tories  to  take  the  oath  of  al 
legiance  to  the  common  cause.  About  this 
time  the  murder  of  Boyd  and  Dogget,  two 
traders  who  were  returning  from  the  Indian 
villages,  served  to  inflame  the  people  still 
more  and  to  hurry  their  defensive  measures 
to  completion.  Several  forts  were  built,  and 


64  THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

the  people  hurried  into  them  for  safety. 
Everything  in  the  Indian  villages  was  astir 
with  the  preparations  for  war.  War-belts 
were  received  from  other  tribes,  and  a  con 
certed  movement  was  developing  rapidly. 
Early  in  July,  1776,  messengers  brought  to 
the  Wataugans  tidings  of  the  Indians'  ap 
proach.  John  Sevier  at  once  sent  the  follow 
ing  message  to  the  Virginia  Committee: 

Fort   Lee,   July    n,    1776. 

Dear  Gentlemen:  Isaac  Thomas,  William  Falling, 
Jaret  Williams,  and  one  more,  have  this  moment  come 
in  by  making  their  escape  from  the  Indians,  and  say 
six  hundred  Indians  an$  whites  were  to  start  for  this 
fort,  and  intend  to  drive  the  country  up  to  New  River 
before  they  return. 

JOHN  SEVIER. 

• 

The  news  of  the  intended  invasion  had  been 
imparted  to  Isaac  Thomas  by  Nancy  Ward 
by  night.  Thomas  in  turn  gave  the  informa 
tion  to  Falling  and  Williams  and  the  other 
messenger,  and  they  all  set  out  for  Watauga, 
each  by  a  different  route  to  make  sure  the  de 
livery  of  the  message.  The  other  settlements 
were  informed  of  the  coming  danger.  Spies 
and  scouts  were  kept  in  the  woods  to  watch 
for  the  Indians.  The  attack  was  to  be  made 
all  along  the  frontiers  of  the  southern  colo 
nies.  The  Creeks  were  to  fall  upon  Georgia; 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  65 

the  Shawnees,  Mingoes,  and  Delawares,  upon 
Virginia;  and  seven  hundred  Cherokees  and 
Chickamaugas,  upon  the  Watauga  settlements. 
The  Cherokees  were  to  advance  upon  the  set 
tlers  in  two  divisions  of  equal  numbers,  to  be 
commanded  respectively  by  Old  Abraham  and 
Dragging  Canoe.  Old  Abraham  of  Chilhowee 
was  to  march  along  the  foot  of  the  mountains 
and  attack  Watauga;  Dragging  Canoe  was  to 
march  upon  Fort  Heaton,  which  was  between 
the  north  and  south  branches  of  the  Holston 
River,  about  six  miles  from  where  they  unite ; 
and,  after  the  destruction  of  these  forts,  they 
were  to  invade  the  western  settlements  of  Vir 
ginia. 

In  answer  to  Sevier's  message,  five  small 
companies,  made  up  largely  of  Virginians, 
reached  Fort  Heaton,  where  they  remained 
two  or  three  days  to  protect  the  people  and 
to  find  out,  if  possible,  the  designs  of  the 
Indians.  The  corps  in  the  fort  consisted  of 
one  hundred  and  seventy  men,  a  very  small 
army  to  resist  the  vast  Indian  forces. 

At  last  the  scouts  returned  from  the  woods 
with  tidings  that  the  Indians  were  near  and 
that  they  were  marching  directly  upon  Fort 
Heaton.  A  council  was  held  to  determine 
whether  to  wait  in  the  fort  for  the  Indians 
to  make  the  attack  or  to  march  out  and  meet 


66  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

them  in  the  woods.  Some  of  the  garrison  pre 
ferred  to  wait  for  them,  but  Captain  Cocke 
argued  that  the  Indians  would  not  attack  the 
fort,  but  would  fall  upon  the  settlements  in 
small  parties  and  murder  helpless  women  and 
children  who  had  not  reached  the  fort.  His 
argument  having  prevailed,  the  little  army 
marched  out  towards  Island  Flats  in  two  divi 
sions,  flankers  on  each  side  and  scouts  in 
front. 

The  advance-guard  of  about  twelve  men 
met  a  small  band  of  Indians  on  Island  Flats 
and  fired  upon  them.  The  Indians  returned 
the  fire,  but  the  fire  from  the  white 
men  forced  them  to  flee.  Anticipating 
a  large  force  of  Indians  near  at  hand,  a 
halt  was  made,  and  as  night  was  coming  on, 
it  was  decided  best  to  return  to  the 
fort.  Before  the  soldiers  had  gone  very 
far,  the  Indians  rushed  upon  their  rear, 
amid  the  din  of  war-whoops,  yelling  to  their 
comrades,  "  The  Unacas  are  running !  Come 
on  and  scalp  them !  "  Captain  Thomas,  the 
chief  officer,  heading  the  left  line,  ordered  the 
right  and  left  lines  to  face  the  enemy  for 
battle,  and  the  conflict  was  on.  When  it  was 
discovered  that  the  Indians  were  trying  to  out 
flank  them,  Lieutenant  Robert  Davis  took  a 
part  of  the  right  line  and  placed  it  across  the 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  67 

flats  to  a  ridge,  thus  making  it  impossible  for 
the  enemy  to  get  around  the  flank,  and  Cap 
tain  James  Shelby,  stationed  on  a  rise,  pre 
vented  the  Indians  from  surrounding  them. 
The  fight  now  became  general,  the  armies 
meeting  in  a  hand-to-hand  conflict.  Both  of 
ficers  and  privates  fought  heroically. 

The  most  interesting  scene  during  the  con 
flict  was  the  fight  between  Lieutenant  Moore 
and  a  very  large,  strong  Indian  chief.  Moore 
fired  at  the  chief,  wounding  him  in  the  knee, 
but  not  so  badly  as  to  prevent  his  standing, 
then  rushed  towards  him.  The  chief  threw 
his  tomahawk  at  Moore,  but  missed  him. 
Then  Moore  assaulted  him  with  a  large 
butcher-knife,  the  blade  of  which  the  chief 
caught  with  his  right  hand,  and  then  both  men 
clinched  with  their  left  hands.  The  old  sav 
age  held  the  sharp  blade  of  the  knife  so  firmly 
that  his  hand  was  almost  severed  from  his 
arm,  the  blood  flowing  in  a  stream.  Moore, 
still  holding  to  the  handle  of  his  knife  with  his 
right  hand,  managed  to  get  his  tomahawk 
from  his  belt  with  his  left  hand  and  crush  the 
old  chief's  skull. 

The  death  of  their  brave  chief  caused  the 
Indians  to  lose  spirit  and  they  retreated  into 
the  woods,  carrying  off  many  of  their  wounded 
as  they  retreated.  In  this  regiarkable  battle, 


68  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

fought  July  20,  1776,  none  of  the  white  men 
were  killed,  and  only  five  were  wounded. 

This  battle  was  followed  by  the  attack  upon 
Fort  Watauga.  The  fort  was  defended  by 
about  forty  men,  with  Captain  James  Robert 
son  first  in  command  and  Lieutenant  John 
Sevier  second.  A  large  number  of  women 
and  children  had  fled  into  the  fort  for  pro 
tection.  Horses  and  cattle  and  such  property 
as  could  be  easily  moved  were  brought  under 
the  protection  of  the  guns  of  the  fort. 

Old  Abraham,  a  cunning  old  chief  noted 
more  for  strategy  than  for  bravery,  marched 
his  army  along  the  mountains,  through  the 
Nolichucky  settlements,  hoping  to  massacre 
the  unprotected  people  before  they  learned 
that  he  was  on  the  war-path.  The  people  had, 
however,  been  warned  of  his  coming  in  time 
to  get  safely  into  Fort  Watauga,  but  they  left 
their  cabins  and  corn-fields  to  the  mercy  of 
the  Indians.  The  surly  old  warrior,  reach 
ing  the  Nolichucky  settlements,  was  surprised 
to  find  the  cabins  deserted.  Presuming  that 
the  settlers  had  just  learned  of  his  approach 
and  were  fleeing  through  the  forest  to  Wa 
tauga,  he  ordered  his  disappointed  warriors 
to  overtake  them.  Thus  in  his  great  anxiety 
to  find  the  settlers,  he  left  the  cabins  and  corn 
fields  unmoles^d.  On  the  next  day,  after 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  69 

the  battle  of  Island  Flats,  Old  Abraham 
reached  Watanga.  He  was  greatly  disap 
pointed  when  he  found  out  his  mistake. 

The  people  in  the  fort  were  not  so  fearful 
of  a  sudden  attack,  as  the  Indians  had  been 
defeated  at  Island  Flats,  and  at  day-break  the 
women  were  out  milking.  Suddenly  a  deaf 
ening  war-whoop  came  from  the  woods.  The 
frightened  women  saw  the  Indians  coming 
upon  them  at  full  speed,  and  ran  screaming 
into  the  fort.  One  beautiful  dark-eyed  girl 
was  cut  off  from  the  fort  by  her  pursuers ;  yet, 
active  and  swift  on  foot  as  a  frightened  doe, 
she  ran  with  all  her  might,  her  dark-brown 
hair  streaming  behind  her,  evaded  her  pur 
suers  at  every  turn,  and  reached  the  palisades 
of  the  fort.  The  gates  had  been  closed,  but 
she  made  a  long  leap  for  the  top  of  the  pali 
sades.  Having  heard  the  screams  of  the  flee 
ing  girl,  the  gallant  Lieutenant  Sevier  leaped 
to  the  top  of  the  wall  to  help  her  over.  With 
one  hand  he  shot  down  the  foremost  pursuer; 
with  the  other,  he  assisted  her  in  the  long 
leap  over  the  wall.  She  fell  into  his  arms 
out  of  breath  and  nearly  exhausted.  This 
heroine  was  Catherine  Sherrill. 

In  this  memorable  siege  of  July  21,  1776, 
the  savages  poured  balls  and  arrows  into  the 
fort  till  about  8  o'clock  in  the  morning  with- 


70  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

out  effect.  The  inmates  of  the  fort  returned 
the  fire  with  such  deadly  aim  that  many  In 
dian  warriors  were  killed.  A  random  firing 
was  kept  up  for  some  time  without  effect,  but 
the  Indians  retreated. 

During  the  attack,  a  messenger  escaped 
from  the  fort  and  hurried  off  for  reinforce 
ments.  One  hundred  Rangers  came  under 
the  command  of  Colonel  William  Russell, 
but  when  Russell  reached  the  fort  he  found 
that  the  Indians  had  retreated. 

During  this  attack  at  Watauga,  James 
Cooper  and  a  boy,  Samuel  Moore,  went  out 
after  some  boards  to  cover  a  hut.  At  the 
mouth  of  Gap  Creek,  they  were  attacked  by 
a  band  of  Indians.  Cooper  plunged  into  the 
river  and  tried  to  escape  by  swimming  and 
diving,  but  the  water  became  too  shallow  and 
the  Indians  scalped  him.  The  noise  of  the 
guns  and  the  screams  of  young  Moore  were 
heard  at  the  fort.  Sevier  attempted  to  go  to 
the  rescue,  but  Robertson,  believing  the  firing 
and  screaming  to  be  a  feint  to  draw  his  men 
from  the  fort,  prevented  him  from  the  at 
tempt.  The  lad  was  taken  to  the  Indian  towns 
up  in  the  mountains  and  burnt  at  the  stake. 

Mrs.  Bean  was  also  captured  by  Old  Abra 
ham's  warriors  near  Watauga.  She  had  al 
ways  been  so  kind  and  friendly  to  the  Indians 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  71 

that  she  felt  safe  on  the  outside  of  the  fort. 
She  was  first  carried  to  Old  Abraham's  sta 
tion-camp  on  the  Nolichucky.  A  white  man 
was  also  held  a  prisoner  there,  and  he  in 
formed  Mrs.  Bean  that  she  was  to  be  mur 
dered.  At  that  moment  a  savage  warrior 
cocked  his  gun  and  moved  towards  her  as  if 
he  intended  to  shoot  her.  Then  the  chiefs, 
through  her  fellow-prisoner,  began  to  ask  her 
how  many  forts  the  whites  had  and  how  many 
soldiers  were  at  each,  where  they  were,  how 
much  powder  they  had,  and  if  they  could  be 
starved  out.  She  answered  their  questions  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  convince  them  that  the 
white  men  could  not  be  conquered.  Then  the 
chiefs  requested  the  prisoner  to  tell  Mrs.  Bean 
that  her  life  would  be  spared,  but  that  she 
would  be  taken  to  the  Indian  towns  to  teach 
their  women  how  to  make  butter  and  cheese. 
Later,  she  was  taken  to  one  of  their  villages 
on  the  Tellico  and  condemned  to  die.  She 
was,  therefore,  taken  to  the  top  of  a  burial- 
mound  and  tied  to  a  stake,  around  which  was 
piled  wood  and  brush.  The  flames  were  about 
to  be  kindled  when  Nancy  Ward  interceded 
and  commanded  the  warriors  to  loose  her 
from  the  stake.  Mrs.  Bean's  life  was  spared, 
and  she  was  finally  sent  under  a  safe  escort  to 
her  husband  at  Watauga. 


72  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

The  incursions  of  the  Indians  continued. 
The  chief  Raven  marched  across  the  country 
with  the  intention  of  surprising  the  people  of 
Carter's  Valley,  but  when  he  got  there  he 
found  them  in  the  forts.  Disheartened  by  the 
defeats  of  Old  Abraham  and  Dragging  Canoe, 
he  returned  to  his  villages.  A  fourth  party, 
divided  into  small  bands,  carried  the  toma 
hawk  and  scalping-knife  to  the  people  along 
the  Clinch  River  up  as  far  as  the  Seven  Mile 
Ford,  in  Virginia.  The  Wolf  Hills  settle 
ment  was  attacked.  The  Reverend  Charles 
Cummings  and  four  others  were  fired  upon 
while  on  their  way  to  work  in  a  field.  At  the 
first  discharge  of  the  Indians'  guns,  William 
Creswell,  who  was  driving  a  wagon,  was 
killed,  and  two  other  men  were  wounded.  As 
soon  as  the  firing  was  heard  in  the  fort,  sev 
eral  men  ran  out  to  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Cum 
mings  and  his  servant,  and  drove  the  Indians 
from  their  ambush  and  carried  the  dead  and 
wounded  into  the  fort. 

Two  churches  had  been  built  in  the  vicin 
ity  of  Wolf  Hills  about  1772,  and  Mr.  Cum 
mings  preached  regularly  to  the  people.  Every 
man  and  every  boy  old  enough  to  bear  arms 
carried  his  arms  to  church.  On  Sunday 
morning  Mr.  Cummings,  dressed  in  his  neat 
est  clothes,  put  on  his  shot-pouch,  shouldered 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  73 

his  rifle  and  rode  to  church.  He  walked 
through  his  congregation  with  a  grave,  digni 
fied  bearing,  placed  his  weapons  within  easy 
reach,  and  began  the  solemn  services.  This 
pious  preacher  carried  the  gospel  of  "  peace 
on  earth,  good  will  towards  men,"  yet  he 
fought  as  desperately  as  any  other  man.  Af 
terwards,  as  chaplain,  he  accompanied  Sevier 
in  a  campaign  against  the  Indians. 

England's  war-plan  had  now  become  well 
known,  and  the  southern  colonies  combined 
against  the  brutal  savages  for  revenge.  Sev 
eral  armies  went  against  the  tribes  of  Indians 
which  had  helped  in  the  execution  of  the 
plan. 

Patrick  Henry,  Governor  of  Virginia,  or 
dered  Colonel  William  Christian,  of  Virginia, 
to  collect  the  frontier  soldiers  and  march  to 
Tellico  and  Chilhowee  with  fire  and  sword. 
The  gathering  was  at  the  Great  Island  in  the 
Holston,  and  by  the  first  of  August  several 
companies  had  assembled.  This  in-gathering 
of  soldiers  drove  away  the  Indians  from  the 
settlements.  Colonel  Christian  was  reinforced 
by  three  or  four  hundred  militia  from  North 
Carolina  under  the  commands  of  Colonel 
Love,  Colonel  Joseph  Williams,  and  Major 
Winston.  Crossing  the  Holston  at  the  Great 
Island,  the  army  marched  to  Double  Springs 


74  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

and  waited  for  reinforcements  from  Wa- 
tauga.  James  Robertson  was  at  the  head  of 
the  Wataugans,  and  John  Sevier  had  charge 
of  a  select  company  of  scouts.  The  whole 
army,  including  the  pack-horse  men  and  the 
cattle-drivers,  was  now  eighteen  hundred 
strong  and  well  armed.  It  was  made  up  of 
infantry,  with  the  exception  of  one  company 
of  light-horse.  The  old  trader  Isaac  Thomas 
acted  as  guide  into  the  Indian  country,  a  dis 
tance  of  about  two  hundred  miles,  and  Charles 
Cummings  was  chaplain. 

Sevier  was  making  himself  famous  in  these 
eventful  days.  His  bravery  and  presence  of 
mind  at  Watauga  in  repelling  the  attack  of 
Old  Abraham  and  his  gallant  rescue  of  Cath 
erine  Sherrill,  had  endeared  him  to  all  the 
community.  In  this  invasion  of  the  Indian 
country,  he  gained  distinction  as  a  scout  and 
as  an  expert  woodsman. 

The  Indians  had  declared  that  the  white  sol 
diers  should  never  cross  the  French  Broad, 
and  they  determined  to  defend  it  to  the  last 
extremity.  Being  aware  of  this  determina 
tion,  Colonel  Christian  sent  Sevier  with  six 
teen  spies  in  advance  of  the  main  army  to  the 
ford  to  locate  the  .enemy. 

Slowly  the  army  moved  on  through  the 
tangled  woods  and  dense  cane-brakes  towards 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER  75 

the  French  Broad.  Alexander  Harlan  came  by 
night  into  Colonel  Christian's  camp  and  told 
him  that  a  band  of  Indians,  three  thousand 
strong,  was  stationed  at  the  ford,  where  the 
war-path  crossed  the  French  Broad,  ready 
to  dispute  the  passage.  Spies  returned  and 
told  Colonel  Christian  that  the  camps  in  the 
bend  of  the  Nolichucky  were  deserted;  but 
the  signs  were  evidences  of  the  large  number 
of  warriors  somewhere  upon  the  war-path. 
The  army  resumed  its  march  very  cautiously 
and  was  soon  afterwards  met  by  a  man  bear 
ing  a  white  flag  in  his  gun.  His  name  was 
Fallen,  a  trader.  The  Colonel  gave  orders 
that  no  notice  be  taken  of  this  man;  he  soon 
departed,  returning  to  the  Indians  and  inform 
ing  them  that  the  pale-faces  marching  to  in 
vade  their  country  were  as  numerous  as  the 
trees  of  the  forests.  The  army  finally  reached 
the  French  Broad,  and  Colonel  Christian  or 
dered  his  soldiers  to  set  up  their  tents  and 
kindle  camp-fires,  as  if  he  intended  to  remain 
there  several  days. 

During  the  darkness  of  the  following  night, 
Christian  ordered  a  strong  detachment  from 
his  army  to  move  down  the  bank  to  an  island 
and  cross  the  river.  The  ford  was  deep,  the 
water  sometimes  reaching  almost  to  the  shoul 
ders,  and  the  current  so  swift  that  the  soldiers 


;6          THE  LIFE   OF  SEVIER 

had  to  wade  four  abreast  to  brace  each  other. 
Next  morning  the  main  army  forded,  and 
joined  the  detachment,  the  soldiers  marching 
in  order  for  battle,  expecting  every  moment 
to  be  attacked.  The  Indians  had  a  few  days 
before  gathered  a  thousand  strong  at  the  ford, 
and  it  was  from  this  place  that  they  had  sent 
Fallen  to  Colonel  Christian  with  a  message  in 
tended  only  to  deceive.  But  after  Fallen's 
departure,  Starr,  another  trader,  made  an 
earnest  talk  to  the  Indians,  showing  the  folly 
of  their  attempt  to  resist  the  armies  of  the 
white  men.  He  told  them  that  the  white 
man  was  made  of  white  clay  and  the 
red  man  of  red  clay,  and  that  the  Great 
Spirit  had  ordained  that  the  white  man 
would  conquer  the  red  man.  He  closed  his 
talk  by  telling  the  Indians  they  had  better 
escape  to  their  mountain  villages.  This 
harangue,  together  with  the  general  feeling 
of  depression  over  the  defeat  of  Old  Abra 
ham  and  Dragging  Canoe,  influenced  them  to 
return  to  their  mountain  fastnesses. 

Finding  no  enemy  to  fight,  the  army,  hav 
ing  crossed  the  river,  halted  to  dry  their 
clothes,  baggage,  and  food,  for  everything,  ex 
cept  their  guns  and  powder,  was  wet.  Then 
the  army  marched  on,  meeting  very  little  op 
position,  and  came  to  Great  Island  Town, 


THE  LIFE   OF   SEVIER  77 

which  they  took  without  hearing  the  twang 
of  a  bow.  The  hungry  soldiers  feasted  upon 
the  abundant  supply  of  corn  and  potatoes 
which  the  Indians  had  left  behind  and  slept 
in  their  wigwams  at  night.  The  main  army 
\vas  divided  into  small  divisions,  and  Tellico, 
Chilhowee,  and  many  other  villages,  were  re 
duced  to  ashes. 

But  the  soldiers  came  to  one  village  differ 
ent  from  the  rest.  As  they  entered  it,  they 
saw  a  circular  tower  about  thirty  feet  in  diam 
eter  and  twenty  feet  high,  covered  with 
dirt.  It  had  but  one  door,  a  narrow  entrance 
covered  with  a  curtain  made  of  the  skins  of 
animals,  and  no  windows,  no  chimneys.  In 
it  were  seats,  or  places  for  lounging,  made 
of  cane  arranged  around  the  wall.  This 
strange  village  was  Echota,  the  home  of 
Nancy  Ward,  and  the  chief  village  of  the 
Qierokee  nation.  The  round  tower  was  used 
for  a  council-house  and  for  celebrating  their 
national  ceremonials,  such  as  the  Green  Corn 
Dance.  None  of  the  soldiers  dared  or  even 
desired  to  set  fire  to  this  village.  By  such 
acts  Christian  hoped  to  convince  the  Indians 
that  he  wished  to  punish  only  the  villages  that 
had  been  led  to  mistreat  the  white  men 
through  the  influence  of  the  British.  In  a 
few  days  Christian  sent  some  of  his  men  with 


78          THE  LIFE   OF  SEVIER 

flags  of  truce  to  the  hiding-places  of  the  chiefs 
and  warriors,  requesting  them  to  come  and 
talk  with  him,  and  a  few  of  them  came  in, 
begging  for  peace.  It  was  agreed  that  the 
Indians  assemble  the  following  May  at  Long 
Island  and  make  a  treaty  by  the  voice  of  their 
whole  nation.  It  was  further  agreed  that 
war  should  not  be  waged  against  the  Indians, 
except  those  living  high  up  in  the  mountain 
towns  where  young  Moore  had  been  burnt  at 
the  stake.  Against  these  mountain  warriors, 
Lieutenant  Sevier  at  a  later  date  carried  fire 
and  sword  with  such  vengeance  that  their 
power  was  broken. 

Christian's  army  was  marched  back  to  Long 
Island,  where  most  of  the  troops  were  dis 
banded.  A  new  fort,  called  Fort  Henry,  was 
built  and  garrisoned  by  a  small  army,  for 
Dragging  Canoe,  chief  of  the  Chickamaugas, 
was  still  burning  for  revenge  and  was  likely 
at  any  moment  to  go  on  the  war-path  again. 
Not  a  man  was  lost  during  the  three  months' 
campaign.  The  march,  though  difficult  to 
make,  was  one  of  pleasure  to  the  soldiers,  as 
they  were  in  a  strange  land,  and  seeing  the 
strange  ways  of  a  strange  people.  The  fer 
tile  soil  of  this  well-watered  region,  enclosed 
by  mountains  grand  and  steep,  influenced 
many  of  the  soldiers  to  decide,  as  they  trudged 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER  79 

along,  that  they  would  one  day  make  their 
homes  here.  Many  of  them  afterwards  moved 
into  this  fertile  region  with  their  families, 
and  helped  to  develop  the  beautiful  Valley  of 
East  Tennessee  as  we  see  it  to-day. 

These  stirring  times  along  the  frontiers,  and 
the  prospect  of  conflict  with  the  British  east 
of  the  Alleghanies,  caused  Sevier  to  give  up 
his  mercantile  business  at  North  Holston  Set 
tlement,  and  offer  his  services  to  his  country. 
After  Christian's  campaign,  he  removed  to 
Watauga,  now  the  most  important  of  the  set 
tlements,  and  continued  fighting  Indians  in 
his  splendid  way — a  way  which  made  him 
famous  as  one  of  the  greatest  of  all  Indian 
fighters. 

According  to  promise,  Oconostota,  with 
many  of  his  chiefs  and  warriors,  met  the  set 
tlers  at  Watauga  in  the  spring  of  1777,  to 
make  peace.  But  however  desirous  of  peace 
himself,  he  could  not  induce  all  the  red  men 
to  come  with  him  to  make  the  treaty.  Drag 
ging  Canoe  still  fostered  his  passion  for  re 
venge,  and  while  Oconostota  was  at  Watauga 
arranging  terms  of  peace,  he  thought  it  a 
good  time  to  strike  a  blow  at  his  white  brother. 
He  believed  that  the  settlers  would  not  ex 
pect  an  attack  at  that  time,  and  decided  to 
fall  upon  them  while  he  had  a  chance.  How- 


80  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

ever,  he  changed  his  plan  of  attack.  Reaching 
the  settlements,  he  divided  his  men  into  small 
parties  with  orders  to  fall  upon  the  exposed 
settlers  at  midnight.  One  of  his  warriors 
shot  and  scalped  Frederick  Calvert,  one  of  the 
settlers,  but  Calvert  recovered  from  the 
wound,  only  to  meet  a  sadder  fate  in  later 
years.  Old  Dragging  Canoe  himself,  with  a 
party  of  selected  warriors,  went  to  Robert 
son's  barn  before  daybreak  and  stole  ten  of 
his  finest  horses.  Robertson  and  a  few  men 
followed  the  Indians  and  surprised  them, 
killing  one  of  the  warriors  and  recapturing  all 
the  stolen  horses.  The  old  chief,  not  willing 
to  be  outdone  by  so  small  a  force  of  the  white 
men,  got  his  braves  together  and  pursued  Rob 
ertson,  overtaking  him  near  his  home.  They 
fired  a  volley  and  wounded  two  of  the  white 
men,  but  Robertson  escaped  with  all  his  men 
and  horses. 

This  mode  of  warfare  was  kept  up  for  a 
long  time,  and  the  settlers  formed  themselves 
into  vigilance  committees  to  baffle  the  designs 
of  the  savages.  Scouts  searched  the  woods 
day  and  night  for  signs  of  the  Indians.  One 
of  the  most  active  leaders  in  the  defence  of 
the  settlements  was  John  Sevier.  He  was 
ever  active,  ever  watchful,  always  in  the  sad 
dle  dashing  through  the  woods  with  lightning 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  81 

speed — always  to  be  found  wherever  the  great 
est  danger  threatened.  After  the  treaty  at 
Watauga,  Robertson  was  sent  to  Echota  with 
the  Indians  to  act  as  agent  for  North  Caro 
lina,  and  a  greater  weight  of  responsibility 
fell  upon  Sevier.  His  personal  magnetism, 
his  cool  bravery  and  presence  of  mind,  and 
his  sound  judgment  won  the  confidence  and 
admiration  of  his  neighbors.  At  the  head  of 
his  men,  he  met  the  Indians  almost  daily,  and 
left  them  dead  or  dying  upon  the  battlefield, 
without  the  loss  of  any  of  his  own  men. 

The  Chickamaugas  were  perhaps  the  most 
formidable  of  the  southern  Indians.  They 
dwelt  along  Chickamauga  Creek,  near  Chat 
tanooga,  and  on  down  the  banks  of  the  Ten 
nessee,  even  below  the  mouth  of  the  Nick-a- 
jack  Cave.  This  tribe  was  one  of  many 
bloods,  being  a  mixture  of  the  Cherokee,  the 
Creek,  and  lawless  thieves  and  cut-throats  of 
the  white  race  who  had  escaped  the  laws  of 
civilized  life  and  settled  in  these  Indian  towns 
and  adopted  Indian  customs,  habits,  and  lan 
guage.  These  Chickamauga  warriors  had  the 
sagacity  of  the  white  race  and  the  cunning 
bravery  of  the  red  race.  They  had  built 
their  towns  along  the  cliffs  and  in  the  caves 
of  the  mountains  along  the  Tennessee,  and  felt 
that  the  white  soldier  could  never  reach  them. 


82  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

Standing  on  the  top  of  Lookout  Mountain, 
near  Chattanooga,  the  observer  gets  a  view  of 
the  country  once  occupied  by  the  Chickamau- 
gas  and  beholds  one  of  the  most  picturesque 
views  in  America.  The  view  extends  into 
several  different  States.  The  whole  expanse, 
lined  with  beautiful  streams,  is  now  dotted 
with  magnificent  towns,  making  it  a  historical 
region  sought  annually  by  pleasure-seekers 
and  lovers  of  the  beautiful  in  nature.  The 
great  river  cuts  through  the  mountains,  mak 
ing  a  narrow  pass-way  appropriately  termed 
the  Southern  Gate- way  of  the  Alleghanies,  and 
winds  its  way  along  the  foot  of  Lookout. 
Here,  looping  itself  into  the  shape  of  a  moc 
casin,  it  forms  Moccasin  Bend,  then  moves 
along  amid  the  beautiful  mountain  scenery, 
past  the  Nick-a-jack  to  the  Mussel  Shoals. 
Here  it  loses  its  calmer  motion  and  dashes  into 
foaming  roaring  whirlpools  too  dangerous  for 
the  canoe  of  the  red  man  or  the  boats  of  the 
white  man. 

Fearing  the  white  men,  the  Chickamaugas 
continued  to  leave  their  villages  and  move 
down  the  river.  They  built  up  Running 
Water,  Nick-a-jack,  Long  Island  Villages, 
Crow  Town,  and  Lookout,  afterwards  known 
as  the  Five  Lower  Towns.  Realizing  the  se 
curity  of  these  hiding-places  of  the  Chickamau- 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  83 

gas  and  the  ease  with  which  they  could  make 
a  raid  upon  the  white  men  and  then  get  safely 
into  these  fastnesses,  Dragging  Canoe  con 
tinued  to  stir  up  his  warriors  against  the  white 
men.  If  the  white  men  went  down  the  river 
to  settle  lands  secured  by  land-warrants,  the 
Indians  would  attack  and  murder  them.  The 
Nick-a-jack  Cave,  called  by  the  Indians  Te- 
calla-see,  was  the  greatest  retreat  and  store 
house  for  the  Indians  of  the  Lower  Towns. 

The  Cherokees  were  held  faithful  to  their 
treaty  by  the  presence  of  Robertson  at  Ech- 
ota,  who  always  kept  his  eyes  open  to  all 
movements  of  both  the  British  and  the  In 
dians  ;  but  the  Chickamaugas  became  so  trou 
blesome  that  Colonel  Evan  Shelby  was  sent 
to  destroy  their  towns.  In  the  expedition, 
Shelby  commanded  three  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  and  Colonel  Montgomery,  one  hundred 
and  fifty.  The  armies  constructed  boats,  and, 
guided  by  Hudson,  one  of  their  number  who 
knew  well  the  Indian  country,  they  descended 
the  Holston  and  the  Tennessee  to  the  mouth 
of  Chickamauga  Creek.  Turning  up  this 
stream,  they  captured  an  Indian  whom  they 
forced  to  guide  them  to  the  Indian  towns. 
They  waded  through  a  cane-brake  partly 
sunk  under  the  water  and  entered  Chicka 
mauga  Town  so  suddenly  that  the  Indians, 


84  THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

five  hundred  in  number,  fled  into  the  moun 
tains  for  safety  without  offering  any  resist 
ance,  During  this  invasion  the  troops  de 
stroyed  eleven  towns  and  twenty  thousand 
bushels  of  corn,  drove  away  large  herds  of 
cattle,  and  seized  goods  valued  at  £20,000. 
These  goods  had  been  brought  to  the  towns 
by  British  agents,  and  were  to  be  used  to 
bribe  the  Indians  at  a  council  to  be  held  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Tennessee.  The  object  of 
this  council  was  to  effect  a  cooperation  of  the 
northern  and  the  southern  Indians  with  the 
British.  Thus  a  second  time  a  simultaneous 
front  and  rear  attack  by  the  British  and  In 
dians  was  baffled  by  the  hardy  backwoodsmen. 
The  expedition  quieted  Dragging  Canoe. 

While  these  events  were  taking  place,  Se- 
vier  was  busy  with  affairs  in  the  settlements. 
He  sent  men  and  supplies  for  the  relief  of 
Captain  Logan,  who  was  besieged  at  Logan's 
Station  by  northern  Indians. 

A  wagon  road  had  recently  been  opened 
from  Burke  County,  North  Carolina,  to  the 
Watauga  settlements,  and  immigration  was 
augmented.  The  population  grew  so  rapidly 
that  Washington  County  was  divided,  a  part 
being  cut  off  and  formed  into  Sullivan  County. 
The  opportunities  for  Sevier  gradually  in 
creased,  and  he  watched  the  progress  of  events 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  85 

so  assiduously  that  he  was  prepared  to  act 
promptly  when  the  time  came. 

The  years  of  1778-9  were  prolific  of  notable 
events  in  th.e  western  settlements.  Jonesboro, 
the  oldest  town  in  Tennessee  and  county  seat 
of  Washington  County,  was  laid  out,  a  court 
house  and  a  jail  were  erected,  and  the  courts 
of  North  Carolina  were  established.  Isaac 
Shelby  was  appointed  coloneft  of  Sullivan 
County,  and  John  Sevier  w^s  soon  afterwards 
appointed  to  the  same  position  in  Washington 
County. 

The  establishment  of  courts  was,  however, 
ineffective  in  checking  the  depredations  of 
Tories  who  came  to  the  western  settlements. 
But  the  frontiersmen  arose  with  the  dangers 
and  hardships  that  surrounded  them  and  dealt 
promptly  with  the  disturbers  of  their  rights 
to  life  and  property.  They  were,  as  a  rule, 
men  of  principle  and  religion;  but,  when  the 
safety  of  their  country  demanded  it,  they 
could  act  with  great  sternness  towards  law 
breakers.  Kidnapping  the  patriotic  Whigs 
was  of  frequent  occurrence.  In  one  instance 
a  party  of  Tories  carried  a  Watauga  Whig 
to  a  high  bluff  up  the  river  and  threatened  to 
throw  him  over  if  he  did  not  give  them  all  his 
property.  Rather  than  lose  his  life  he  yielded 
to  their  demand.  The  leader  of  the  kidnap- 


86  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

pers  on  this  occasion  was  Captain  Grimes, 
who  was  afterwards  captured  at  King's  Moun 
tain  and  hanged. 

Sevier  was  perhaps  the  most  active  and  de 
termined  leader  in  putting  down  these  lawless 
acts.  The  measures  he  resorted  to .  were 
harsh,  but  necessary;  for  otherwise  the  peace 
and  happiness  of  the  settlements  would  have 
been  destroyed  and  the  plan  of  the  British 
might  have  been  carried  out. 

The  history  of  the  Watauga  settlements 
reads  like  fiction.  The  small  number  of  peo 
ple  in  the  hands  of  Providence  did  wonders 
for  the  cause  of  freedom,  and  very  appropri 
ately  have  they  been  called  the  "  Rear-guard 
of  the  Revolution." 

Sevier  had  taken  a  fancy  to  the  Nolichucky 
Settlement  and  the  fertile  land  along  the  Noli 
chucky  River.  In  1778  he  removed  with  his 
family  from  Watauga  and  settled  upon  the 
south  bank  of  the  Nolichucky,  at  a  place  called 
Mount  Pleasant.  Here,  on  his  rich  plantation, 
he  began  farming  with  slave  labor,  though 
there  were  not  many  slaves  in  the  settlements 
at  this  time.  Again  Sevier  was  in  a  position 
to  indulge  his  fondness  for  horses  and  dogs. 
As  there  was  not  quite  so  much  disturbance 
in  the  settlements,  he  was  at  liberty  to  attend 
to  his  plantation  with  some  interest. 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  87 

But  day  and  night  there  was  a  feeling  of 
restlessness  thrilling  his  ngjves,  for  he  had 
still  to  scout  the  woods  to  keep  advised  of  the 
movements  of  the  Indians.  The  Indians,  al 
ways  skilled  in  woodcraft,  had  learned  so  per 
fectly  to  bleat  like  the  fawn,  hoot  like  the  owl, 
gobble  like  the  turkey,  and  scream  like  the 
wild-cat,  that  they  could  deceive  the  most 
skilful  hunter.  Often  an. unsuspecting  settler, 
hearing,  a  few  yards  distant  in  the  woods,  the 
calls  and  gobbles  of  turkeys,  would  take  his 
rifle  and  creep  cautiously  through  the  under 
growth  to  kill  a  turkey  for  food.  But  soon 
the  noise  of  his  creeping  among  the  leaves  and 
brush  was  heard  and  the  gobbling  ceased ;  and, 
as  he  crept  on,  the  bullet  of  a  rifle  would  strike 
him  lifeless  to  the  ground.  But  the  white 
hunters  and  settlers  became  even  more  skil 
ful  than  the  Indians  in  such  games  of  strategy, 
and  led  many  an  Indian  into  the  snare  of 
death. 

Sevier's  new  l^utie  in  Mount  Pleasant,  .built 
of  huge,  heavy  logs,  was  made  large  and  com 
modious  to  accommodate  his  large  family  and 
the  friends  who  chanced  to  visit,  him.  In 
spite  of  the  constantly  besetting  dangers  of  the 
frontier  life,  everything  in  this  log  mansion 
upon  the  Nolichucky  was  peaceful  and  happy 
till  the  early  days  of  1780.  Then  death  came 


88  THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

into  his  home  and  took  away  his  wife,  who 
had  borne  him  ten  children — Joseph;  Jaftie^, 
John,  ValeatineT^Ricr^ird;  §etse£/  Dolly,' 
M*ary  Ann,  Nan^cy,  and  Rebecca.1  * 
*  Sevier's  temperament  would  not  allow  him 
to  sit  down  and  nurse  sorrow,  so  he  kept  up 
his  scouting  in  the  woods.  The  spring  months 
passed,  and  the  summer,  and  he  began  to  feel 
sensibly  the  need  of  a  wife  to  care  for  his 
little  ones  at  home.  He  fell  in  love  with 
Catherine  Sherrill,  whom  he  had  rescued  at 
Watauga  four  years  before.  This  young 
woman,  whom  he  playfully  called  his  "  Bonny 
Kate,"  became  his  wife  on  the  I4th  of  Au 
gust,  1780,  the  marriage  ceremony  being  per 
formed  by  Joseph  Wilson,  a  justice  of  the 
peace.2  Her  affection  for  Sevier  was  shown 
in  her  saying,  after  her  rescue  at  Watauga, 
that  she  used  to  feel  ready  to  have  another 
such  race  and  leap  over  the  pickets  to  enjoy 
another  such  an  introduction.3  "  Bonny  Kate  " 
bore  to  Colonel  Sevier  eiejto  children — Rutji, 
Catherine,  George  Washin^on,  Joanna  Goade, 
Sarquel,  Robert,  Polly  Preston,  and  "Elizafyetli 
Conw-ay.  Sevier  was* a  careful  father  in  bring 
ing  up  his  children,  and  they  made  useful  citi 
zens. 

1  Draper    MSS.  2  Ibid. 

3  Wheeler's  "  North  Carolina,"  p.  450. 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  89 

It  was  while  living  on  his  plantation  on  the 
Nolichucky  that  Sevier's  successful  scouting 
and  Indian  fighting  gained  for  him  the  nick 
name  of  "  Nolichucky  Jack,"  or,  as  abbrevi 
ated,  "  Chucky  Jack." 


CHAPTER   VI 


THE  VOYAGE   OF  THE  "  ADVENTURE  "   AND 
SKIRMISHES   WITH   THE   BRITISH 


AFTER  the  uprising  of  Dragging  Canoe  had 
been  quelled,  Robertson  returned  home  from 
Echota.  At  that  time  affairs  in  the  western 
settlements  seemed  to  be  improving;  families 
of  the  best  blood  from  the  colonies  continued 
to  swell  the  ranks  of  the  settlers,  and  the 
land,  rich  and  very  cheap,  was  eagerly  sought 
by  the  homeless  and  poor.  The  Reverend 
Doctor  Samuel  Doak,  a  graduate  of  Prince 
ton  College,  came  over  the  mountain  and  es 
tablished  in  Washington  County  the  first  in 
stitution  of  learning  in  the  Mississippi  Val 
ley.  This  was  about  1780.  He  brought  his 
library  with  him,  in  sacks  thrown  across  the 
back  of  a  pack-horse.  This  apostle  of  religion 
and  learning  taught  the  sons  of  the  pioneers 
the  more  important  branches  of  learning  and 
the  principles  of  religion  at  a  little  school 
building  on  his  own  farm.  His  school  was 
incorporated  under  the  laws  of  North  Caro- 
90 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  91 

lina  as  Martin  Academy,  and  later  it  was 
chartered  as  Washington  College,  and  Doctor 
Doak  became  its  first  president. 

During  the  ten  years  of  their  existence,  the 
settlements  had  made  some  progress  in  civil 
ization.  The  habits  and  customs  of  the  settlers 
were  becoming  more  polished  by  the  elevating 
influences  of  education  and  religion.  The 
ministers  of  the  various  churches  vied  with 
each  other  in  the  spread  of  their  doctrines. 
These  educational  and  religious  influences 
among  the  strong-minded,  brave-hearted 
pioneers  built  up  the  powerful  forces  which 
have  produced  so  many  great  Tennesseeans. 

Robertson  next  went  into  the  region  of  the 
Cumberland  River,  where  Nashville  now 
stands,  exploring  in  company  with  several 
men.  During  the  spring  and  summer  this 
company  planted  and  raised  a  crop  of  corn, 
and  then,  leaving  three  men  to  keep  the  buf 
faloes  off  the  unfenced  fields,  returned  to  Wa- 
tauga  for  their  families. 

Sevier  and  Robertson  had  been  as  brothers 
at  Watauga,  and  it  was  a  sad  parting;  but 
Robertson,  feeling  that  Sevier  was  able  to 
defend  the  people  of  the  Watauga  settlements, 
determined  to  go,  and  set  out  over-land  with 
several  men.  Their  route  was  through  Cum 
berland  Gap  and  the  southern  part  of  Ken- 


92  THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

tucky.  They  went  slowly  with  their  droves 
of  cattle  and  loads  of  goods.  The  severe  win 
ter  of  1779-80,  ever  since  known  as  the 
"  cold  winter,"  made  their  journey  slow  and 
painful.  When  they  reached  the  Cumberland 
River,  the  stream  was  frozen  over  so  solidly 
that  they  drove  their  cattle  over  on  the  ice — 
an  unusual  thing  in  that  latitude. 

In  the  meantime,  John  Donelson,  with  a  few 
armed  men,  was  to  take  the  women  and  chil 
dren  and  what  goods  he  could  in  boats  from 
Fort  Patrick  Henry,  down  the  Holston  and 
Tennessee  and  up  the  Ohio  and  Cumberland 
to  French  Lick,  where  he  expected  to  meet 
Robertson  and  his  men.  He  sailed  in  his 
own  boat,  which  he  called  the  Adventure,  ac 
companied  by  a  fleet  of  such  vessels. 

The  voyage  was  begun  December  22, 
1779.  The  weather  was  excessively  cold,  and 
hard  frosts  added  to  the  discomforts  of  the 
•voyagers.  During  the  voyage  there  were 
many  accidents  and  narrow  escapes.  After 
sailing  for  some  time  the  boats  came  to  an 
Indian  village  on  the  south  bank.  The  In 
dians  showed  signs  of  friendship,  calling  the 
white  men  brothers,  and  inviting  them  ashore. 
John  Caffrey  and  Donelson's  son  got  into  a 
canoe  and  paddled  towards  the  village.  They 
were  met  by  Coody,  a  half-breed,  who  ad  vised 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  93 

them  to  return  to  their  boats.  A  large  num 
ber  of  Indian  warriors,  with  their  faces  painted 
red  and  black,  were  seen  on  the  other  shore 
embarking  in  canoes  and  making  warlike  dem 
onstrations.  Seeing  this,  Coody  urged  the 
white  men  to  move  off  at  once  for  their  safety. 
He  sailed  with  them  a  short  distance,  then, 
telling  them  that  they  had  passed  all  the  vil 
lages  and  were  out  of  danger,  he  returned  to 
his  village. 

But  the  boatmen  soon  came  to  another  vil 
lage  and  were  again  shown  signs  of  friend 
ship  and  invited  ashore.  Some  of  the  voy 
agers,  sailing  too  near  the  opposite  bank  in  an 
effort  to  get  out  of  danger,  were  attacked  by 
some  Indians  in  ambush,  and  one  man  was 
killed. 

Among  the  voyagers  was  a  man  named 
Stewart,  whose  family  was  ill  with  small 
pox.  His  boat  was  kept  at  some  distance  in 
the  rear  of  the  others,  in  order  to  prevent  the 
spread  of  the  disease.  The  Indians,  observ 
ing  a  boat  so  far  separated  from  the  others, 
fell  upon  it  and  murdered  the  occupants, 
twenty-eight  in  all.  The  cries  of  the  victims 
were  heard  by  the  other  voyagers,  but  they 
were  prevented  from  going  to  the  rescue. 

The  Indians  continued  to  march  down  the 
river.  Finally  the  boats  sailed  out  of  view 


94  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

of  the  Indians  and  the  vigilant  voyagers  felt 
that  they  were  out  of  danger.  But  by  this 
time  the  little  fleet  had  sailed  into  the  Nar 
rows  below  Chattanooga,  and  one  of  the 
boats  was  capsized.  While  trying  to  rescue 
the  lost  goods  and  restore  the  boat,  the  boat 
men  were  fired  upon  by  the  Indians  who  sud 
denly  appeared  on  the  opposite  cliff.  Every 
body  retreated  hastily  to  the  boats  and  rowed 
away  as  fast  as  possible.  After  they  had 
passed  out  of  the  reach  of  danger,  they  missed 
the  boat  containing  a  man  named  Jennings 
and  his  family,  which  consisted  of  his  wife 
and  son,  a  negro  man  and  woman,  and  a 
white  man.  It  appeared  that  in  trying  to 
make  their  escape  their  boat  had  run  upon  a 
rock  and  had  become  partially  submerged. 
What  had  become  of  its  occupants  could  not 
be  learned,  until  one  morning,  about  4  o'clock, 
a  voice  was  heard  up  the  river  calling,  "  Help 
poor  Jennings!"  It  wa,s  Jennings  himself. 
After  he  was  landed,  he  told  the  story  of  his 
narrow  escape.  He  said  that  the  Indians 
turned  their  'whole  fire  upon  him  when  they 
saw  he  was  in  distress,  and  while  he  returned 
the  fire  upon  the  Indians,  he  ordered  those 
who  were  with  him  to  cast  the  goods  over 
board  and  get  the  boat  off  the  rock.  The 
firing  from  the  Indians  became  so  hot  that 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER  95 

the  son,  the  young  man,  and  the  negro  man 
deserted  the  boat.  Despite  the  shower  of 
bullets  falling  around  them,  Mrs.  Jennings 
and  the  colored  woman  succeeded  in  empty 
ing  the  boat,  and  Mrs.  Jennings  shoved  the 
boat  off  so  suddenly  that  she  came  near  being 
left  on  shore  to  the  mercy  of  the  Indians. 
The  negro  man  was  drowned,  and  the  two 
young  men  swam  to  a  canoe  and  floated  down 
the  river.  They  were  met  next  day  by  five 
canoes  of  Indians,  taken  prisoners,  and  car 
ried  to  Chickamauga,  where  the  young  man 
was  burned  at  the  stake,  it  was  afterwards 
learned.  Young  Jennings  was  spared  through 
the  intervention  of  an  Indian  trader  named 
Rogers  who  had  been  released  from  Indian 
captivity  by  Sevier  only  a  short  time  before. 

Again  the  voyagers  moved  their  boats  out 
into  the  current.  After  rowing  a  few  miles, 
the  crowing  of  cocks  was  heard  in  another 
Indian  village.  Again  they  were  fired  upon 
by  the  Indians  as  they  passed,  but  this  time 
without  injury. 

The  next  danger  to  face  was  the  Mussel 
Shoals  in  the  southern  bend  of  the  Tennessee. 
The  boats  were  landed  at  the  upper  end  of 
the  Shoals  to  see  if  Robertson  had  left  any 
sign  for  them,  as  he  had  promised  to  leave 
a  sign  in  case  it  was  safe  for  them  to  leave 


96          THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

their  boats  and  go  through  by  land.  Find 
ing  no  sign,  they  decided  to  continue  their 
journey  by  water.  The  boats  were  put  in  the 
best  possible  condition,  and  the  voyage  was 
resumed.  The  Shoals  were  very  dangerous 
and  their  roaring  noise  added  the  more  dread 
to  the  voyagers  as  they  approached  them. 
Gurgling,  boiling,  dashing  into  foam  and 
spray,  the  angry  waters  roared  so  loudly  that 
they  could  be  heard  for  miles  away.  At 
times  the  boats  would  drag  on  the  rocks, 
again  they  would  ride  the  angry  waves  like 
ships  in  a  storm.  They  were  three  hours  in 
passing  over  the  Shoals  and  reached  the  lower 
end  before  night. 

Below  the  Shoals  the  river  again  widens 
and  the  current  is  not  so  swift,  and  here  the 
men  were  able  to  take  a  much-needed  rest 
after  laboring  so  valiantly  at  the  oars.  Float 
ing  down  the  stream  quietly  for  some  time, 
two  boats  advancing  too  near  the  shore  were 
fired  upon  by  a  party  of  Indians,  and  five  of 
the  boatmen  were  wounded.  Reaching  the 
mouth  of  the  creek,  the  company  landed  to 
camp  on  its  banks.  After  the  camp-fires  were 
kindled,  the  dogs  began  to  bark  as  if  danger 
were  near.  Presuming  that  a  band  of  In 
dians  was  coming  upon  them,  the  company 
fled  to  their  boats,  leaving  behind  their  cook- 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  97 

ing  utensils.  They  dropped  down  the  river 
about  a  mile  and  encamped  on  the  opposite 
shore.  Next  morning  Caffrey  and  Donelson's 
son  crossed  the  river  in  a  canoe  and  returned 
to  the  deserted  camp-fires  to  see  what  had 
happened.  They  found  the  negro  left  behind 
the  evening  before  sound  asleep  by  the  camp 
fires.  Finding  no  danger  of  an  attack,  the 
voyagers  recrossed  the  river  for  their  utensils, 
then  sailed  to  the  mouth  of  the  Tennessee 
without  further  encounters  \vith  the  sav 
ages. 

The  voyagers  were  here  made  sad  by  the 
separation  of  some  of  their  companions, 
some  to  descend  the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi 
to  Natchez,  others  bound  for  Illinois.  The 
rest  of  the  people  had  much  to  cast  a  gloom 
over  their  spirits,  for  they  were  without  food, 
worn  out  by  the  voyage,  and  they  had  yet  to 
stem  the  Ohio  to  the  Cumberland,  then  row 
up  that  stream  to  French  Lick. 

But  they  never  lost  courage,  and  now 
pushed  onward.  When  they  reached  the 
mouth  of  the  Cumberland,  it  seemed  so  small 
that  they  did  not  believe  it  to  be  the  river 
they  were  seeking;  but,  after  going  a  short 
distance  up  its  current,  they  were  convinced 
that  they  were  on  the  right  stream.  Some  of 
their  men  had  to  hunt  game  for  food,  and 


98  THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

they  gathered  from  the  swamps  an  herb  which 
they  called  Shawnee  salad.  At  one  place  some 
of  the  hunters  found  a  pair  of  hand-mill  stones 
set  up  ready  for  grinding,  but  the  mill  had  not 
been  in  use  for  a  long  time,  a  fact  which  con 
vinced  them  that  no  Indians  were  in  that 
region. 

The  company  was  rejoiced  over  meeting 
with  Colonel  Richard  Henderson  several 
miles  below  French  Lick,  for  he  gave  them 
much  information  that  they  were  anxious  to 
obtain.  Colonel  Henderson  was  surveying  the 
line  between  Virginia  and  North  Carolina.  He 
informed  Donelson  that  a  large  quantity  of 
corn  had  been  bought  for  the  Cumberland 
settlers.  The  company  reached  the  end  of 
their  journey  on  April  2,  1780,  and  found 
Robertson  and  his  men  anxiously  awaiting 
their  arrival.  The  tired  and  hungry  voyagers 
went  to  their  little  homes  built  upon  the  bluff, 
where  they  were  rested  and  refreshed  with 
such  food  as  was  common  to  the  pioneer 
homes. 

Thus  ended  this  remarkable  voyage.  It 
may  be  of  interest  to  remark  here  that  the 
future  wife  of  Andrew  Jackson,  the  daughter 
of  John  Donelson,  was  with  her  father  on 
this  voyage. 

Here    we    leave    Captain    Robertson,    the 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER  99 

loved  and  faithful  friend  of  the  Wataugans, 
to  found  and  develop  a  new  settlement,  while 
his  friend  Sevier  manages  the  affairs  at  Wa- 
tauga  and  takes  an  active  part  in  the  resistance 
to  British  tyranny. 

While  Robertson  was  exploring  upon  the 
Cumberland,  and  making  the  settlements,  the 
thunderbolt  of  the  Revolution  fell  upon  the 
South.  In  1779  the  royal  army  took  Savan 
nah  and  overran  Georgia.  The  Americans, 
under  General  Lincoln,  assisted  by  the  French 
fleet  under  Count  D'Estaing,  tried  to  recap 
ture  Savannah,  but  were  unsuccessful.  Then 
Sir  Henry  Clinton  sailed  from  New  York 
and  assisted  in  taking  Charleston,  the  fall  of 
which  fixed  the  fate  of  South  Carolina. 

Clinton  sent  out  three  expeditions  through 
the  country  to  complete  the  subjugation  of 
the  people.  One,  under  Lieutenant-Colonel 
Brown,  was  to  occupy  Augusta  and  supply 
the  Indians  with  guns  and  ammunition  for 
another  uprising;  another,  under  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  Cruger,  was  to  subdue  the  country 
around  Ninety-six;  the  third  and  largest 
force,  under  Lord  Cornwallis,  was  to  move 
northward,  subjugating  and  plundering  the 
colonies  as  it  proceeded;  then,  the  three 
armies  were  to  unite  their  forces  to  subdue 
North  Carolina  and  Virginia.  Clinton  felt 


ioo         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

that  his  services  were  no  longer  needed  in  the 
South,  and  so,  leaving  the  military  affairs  in 
the  hands  of  the  above-named  officers,  he  set 
sail  for  New  York. 

The  country  was  full  of  Tories.  These 
now  flocked  to  the  royal  standard  and  swelled 
the  ranks  of  the  British,  carrying  destruc 
tion  wherever  they  went.  They  left  no 
homes,  no  food  for  the  widows  and  orphans. 
Women,  children,  and  aged  men  often  hid 
their  scanty  supply  of  food  in  caves. 

The  whole  of  South  Carolina  seemed  to 
be  in  the  hands  of  the  British;  but  Colonel 
Charles  McDowell,  of  Quaker  Meadows, 
Burke  County,  North  Carolina,  had  a  very 
small,  but  invincible,  force  of  mounted  militia 
at  Cherokee  Ford,  on  Broad  River.  With 
him  was  the  brave  Elijah  Clarke,  of  Georgia, 
and  Colonel  James  Williams,  of  South  Car 
olina,  each  with  a  small  body  of  brave  men 
ready  to  die  in  the  defence  of  their  country 
and  of  their  rights. 

On  account  of  the  intense  summer  heat, 
Cornwallis  decided  to  wait  awhile  before  tak 
ing  up  his  northward  march,  and,  in  the 
meantime,  he  busied  himself  supplying  the 
Indians  west  of  the  mountains  with  the  ma 
terials  of  war,  and  in  enlisting  the  Tories. 
He  sent  Lieutenant-Colonel  Patrick  Fergu- 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         101 

son  to  the  mountain  counties  to  win  and 
enlist  the  Tories  there  in  his  army,  for  Fer 
guson  was  very  active  and  loyal  to  his  maj 
esty's  cause.  He  had  winning  manners  which 
made  him  a  skilful  organizer  among  the 
Tories,  he  was  an  expert  rifleman,  and  he 
understood  well  the  arts  of  war. 

McDowell  soon  discovered  the  plan  of 
Cornwallis  and  sent  dispatches  to  Shelby 
and  Sevier  for  help.  The  fame  of  these  two 
men  had  rapidly  spread  to  the  seaboard.  As 
the  Wataugans  were  expecting  an  invasion 
from  the  Indians,  who  were  being  armed  by 
the  British,  Sevier  did  not  deem  it  prudent 
to  leave  Watauga,  but  he  at  once  collected 
two  hundred  mounted  riflemen  and  placed 
them  under  the  command  of  Major  Charles 
Robertson  and  hastened  them  to  South  Caro 
lina  to  McDowell's  assistance.  A  like  num 
ber  under  Colonel  Isaac  Shelby  was  also  sent 
without  delay. 

The  valiant  mountain  men  added  much 
strength  to  the  little  army  of  McDowell. 
Together  the  combined  forces  now  pursued 
a  guerilla  warfare.  They  were  few  in  num 
bers  at  all  times,  but  they  were  like  a  moun 
tain  torrent  dashing  down  the  rugged  rapids 
right  into  British  ranks.  Every  Wataugan 
had  learned  Sevier's  mode  of  warfare,  and 


102         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

when  the  order  for  battle  was  given  each 
gave  the  famous  war-whoop  and  mowed 
down  the  enemy  with  the  Deckard.  It  was 
the  policy  of  the  little  army  to  change  camp 
often  and  to  swoop  down  upon  the  enemy 
like  an  eagle  upon  his  prey,  then  dash  into 
the  swamps,  riding  day  and  night,  if  neces 
sary,  to  evade  or  avoid  the  pursuing  troops 
of  the  enemy. 

At  Thickety  Fort,  on  the  Pacolet  River  in 
South  Carolina,  some  twenty  miles  from  Mc 
Dowell's  camp  at  Cherokee  Ford,  on  Broad 
River,  Patrick  Moore,  a  Tory  colonel,  was 
organizing  and  drilling  a  force  of  loyalists 
to  be  joined  to  Ferguson's  army.  Moore's 
men  became  so  cruel  in  plundering  the  help 
less  that  McDowell  determined  to  capture 
them  before  they  could  join  Ferguson,  and 
accordingly  he  sent  Shelby  with  his  Wa- 
taugans,  and  Clarke  of  Georgia  with  his 
small  force,  about  six  hundred  in  all,  to  at 
tack  Moore.  The  little  army  mounted  their 
horses  about  dusk  and  by  dawn  of  next  day 
surrounded  the  fort.  Shelby  sent  in  a  de 
mand  for  surrender,  but  Moore  would  not  at 
first  yield ;  he,  however,  finally  surrendered 
and  the  garrison  wras  paroled  not  to  serve 
again  during  the  \var.  The  fort  could  have 
been  defended  easily,  but  terror  seized  Moore 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         103 

when  such  a  bold  demand  from  Shelby  was 
made. 

Ferguson,  hearing  of  the  bold  movements 
of  Shelby,  determined  to  catch  him  and  cut 
his  army  to  pieces.  He  at  once  sent  a  de 
tachment  of  several  hundred  soldiers  to  force 
him  to  battle.  Shelby  and  Clarke,  learning 
of  his  desire,  stationed  themselves  at  a  point 
not  far  from  Spartanburg,  South  Carolina, 
and  prepared  for  battle.  The  British  advance 
under  Dunlap  came  up,  and  a  sharp  skirmish 
of  about  half  an  hour  followed.  The  Ameri 
cans  fired  their  loaded  pieces ;  and  then,  when 
charged,  fought  with  knives,  swords,  and  the 
butts  of  their  guns  till  their  faces  were  so 
cut  and  covered  with  smoke  and  blood  that 
it  was  difficult  for  the  men  themselves  to  dis 
tinguish  each  other  from  the  enemy.  The 
battle  was  hard  fought.  Sometimes  one 
American  engaged  two  British  at  once  in  a 
hand-to-hand  fight.  Soon  the  first  advance 
of  the  British  was  put  to  flight;  but,  on 
Ferguson's  coming  up  with  his  reserves,  the 
Americans  retired  from  the  field  with  twenty 
prisoners,  including  two  British  officers. 

McDowell  now  moved  his  camp  to  Smith's 
Ford  on  Broad  River.  As  soon  as  Shelby 
and  Clarke  had  reached  his  camp  and  rested 
their  men  a  little,  they  were  sent  with  Colonel 


104         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

Williams  of  South  Carolina,  and  other  re 
inforcements,  among  whom  was  Valentine 
Sevier,  brother  of  John  Sevier,  to  Musgrove's 
Mill,  on  the  south  side  of  the  Enoree  River, 
a  distance  of  forty  miles,  to  rout  a  large 
band  of  Tories  stationed  there.  They  took 
up  the  line  of  march  before  sundown  and 
traveled  through  the  woods  till  dark,  then 
took  a  road  leaving  Ferguson's  camp  only  a 
short  distance  to  the  left  and  marched  all 
night.  Next  morning  at  dawn  they  met  a 
patrol  party,  and  after  a  brief  skirmish  the 
enemy  fled  to  their  camps,  which  were  about 
half  a  mile  away. 

Just  then  a  man  who  lived  in  the  vicinity 
approached  Shelby's  men  with  an  import 
ant  message.  He  informed  Shelby  that  the 
Tories  had,  the  evening  before,  been  re 
inforced  with  six  hundred  regulars  under 
Colonel  Ennes.  The  presence  of  the  riflemen 
was  now  known  to  the  enemy,  their  number 
small,  their  men  and  horses  much  fatigued 
with  the  night's  ride,  and  retreat  before  a 
large  force  of  rested  men  and  horses  was  im 
possible.  Shelby  was  a  man  of  iron  will  and 
quick  decision.  He  decided  to  meet  the 
enemy  in  battle.  A  breast-work  was  made 
of  logs  and  brush.  In  a  short  time  the  scouts 
reported  the  advance  of  the  enemy.  Captain 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVlER         log 

Inman  was  sent  to  skirmish  with  the  enemy 
as  soon  as  they  had  crossed  over  the  Enoree, 
and  instructed  to  retreat  in  the  direction  of  the 
breast-work.  The  British  came  on.  Captain 
Inman's  men  fired  and  retreated  as  ordered. 
The  British  rushed  after  them  in  disorder, 
believing  that  the  entire  American  force  was 
retreating.  They  galloped  at  full  speed  till 
they  were  within  seventy  yards  of  Shelby's 
army.  Then  the  war-whoop  was  sounded, 
and  a  shower  of  lead  was  poured  into  the 
faces  of  the  British.  They  staggered,  but 
rallied  again,  and  the  soldiers  on  both  sides 
fought  like  tigers  for  more  than  an  hour. 
The  Americans  yielded  at  a  few  points  along 
the  breast-works;  but  they  finally  wounded 
the  British  commander,  Colonel  Ennes,  killed 
or  wounded  all  his  subalterns,  and  hurled  the 
broken  forces  into  rapid  retreat.  The  gallant 
Americans  pursued  them  hotly,  driving  them 
across  the  river.  In  the  pursuit  of  the  enemy 
Captain  Inman  was  killed,  and  the  hard- 
fought  battle  of  Musgrove's  Mill  was  ended. 
After  the  battle,  the  Americans  returned  to 
their  horses  tethered  in  the  woods,  for  Shelby 
was  determined  to  be  at  Ninety-six  before 
night.  Just  after  the  men  had  mounted  their 
horses,  a  messenger  from  McDowell  galloped 
up  and  presented  a  letter  from  Governor 


io6         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

Caswell,  announcing  that  the  American 
army  under  General  Gates  had  been  defeated 
at  Camden,  and  advising  McDowell  to  get 
out  of  the  enemy's  way  the  best  he  could. 
Shelby  knew  the  hand- writing  of  the  Gover 
nor,  and  there  could  be  no  question  as  to  the 
authenticity  of  the  letter.  He  ordered  his 
men  to  the  mountains,  and  all  day  and  all 
night  and  all  the  next  day  they  pressed  on 
with  as  much  speed  as  tired  horses  can 
make.  For  forty-eight  hours  the  men  sat  in 
their  saddles  without  a  halt  till  they  were  far 
away  in  the  mountains.  The  men  could 
scarcely  be  recognized,  for  their  eyes  were  red 
and  swollen  from  loss  of  sleep  and  exposure 
to  heat  and  dust.  The  poor  horses  had  eaten 
nothing,  except  what  they  could  nibble  from 
the  undergrowth  as  they  hastened  along.  It 
was  fortunate  that  they  had  traveled  even  so 
rapidly,  for  they  had  been  hotly  pursued  by 
a  strong  British  force  till  late  in  the  after 
noon  of  the  second  day.  They  now  halted 
for  a  rest.  They  were  at  home  in  the  rugged 
fastnesses  of  the  great  mountains  and  they 
did  not  fear  for  their  safety.  They  could 
easily  defend  themselves  in  the  midst  of  these 
bold  cliffs. 

The  little  army  was  now  divided.     Shelby 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER         107 

went  back  to  Watauga ;  Williams  carried 
the  prisoners  to  a  place  of  safe  keeping,  and 
Clarke,  with  one  hundred  men,  went  south, 
determined,  if  possible,  to  wrest  Augusta 
from  the  hands  of  the  British  captors. 


CHAPTER  VII 

THE    UPRISING    OF    THE    WATAUGANS 

McDowELL  and  his  men,  chased  by  Fergu 
son,  later  crossed  the  mountain  and  took 
refuge  among  the  Wataugans.  Ferguson, 
giving  up  the  fruitless  chase,  stationed  him 
self  at  Gilbert  Town,  North  Carolina,  and 
sent  an  insolent  message  to  the  Wataugans 
by  Samuel  Philips,  a  paroled  prisoner,  threat 
ening  to  march  his  army  over  the  mountains, 
to  burn  their  cabins,  to  lay  their  country 
waste,  and  to  hang  their  leaders  if  they  did 
not  cease  their  opposition  to  the  British.  In 
his  army  were  a  few  Tories  from  Watauga 
who  were  familiar  with  the  rough  passes 
across  the  mountains.  These  men  agreed  to 
guide  his  soldiers  to  the  over-mountain 
country.  Some  of  them,  too,  were  well 
acquainted  with  Colonel  Sevier  and  were 
eager  to  betray  him  into  the  hands  of  the 
enemy. 

The  message  reached  Shelby  about  the  last 
of  August,  1780.  As  soon  as  he  had  read 
it,  he  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  to  Sevier 
108 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER         io0 

on  the  Nolichucky,  a  distance  of  fifty  or  sixty 
miles.  When  he  dashed  up  to  Sevier's  home, 
his  poor  horse  flecked  with  foam,  to  his  sur 
prise  he  found  feasting  and  merry-making 
going  on.  Sevier  was  giving  a  great  bar 
becue,  and  a  horse-race  was  to  be  run.  Many 
people  wrere  there  enjoying  the  hospitality 
of  the  kind-hearted,  great-souled  colonel,  but 
the  people  saw  in  the  stern  face  of  Shelby 
that  some  portentous  event  was  impending. 

Sevier  took  no  further  part  in  the  merry 
making.  In  two  days  he  and  Shelby  dis 
cussed  the  state  of  affairs  and  carefully  laid 
their  plans,  for  there  were  many  things  to 
think  about  and  many  plans  to  consider.  The 
question  was  whether  or  not  it  would  be  ad 
visable  to  fortify  themselves  at  home  and 
wait  for  Ferguson's  visit.  To  this  plan  there 
was  objection,  as  they  were  also  expecting  an 
invasion  from  the  Indians  which  might  take 
place  at  the  same  time  they  were  repelling 
Ferguson.  Besides,  this  plan  was  too  slow  for 
Sevier.  His  idea  was  to  pounce  upon  the 
enemy,  dart  swiftly  away,  and  get  ready  for 
another  sudden  attack,  just  as  the  smaller  birds 
drive  the  hawks  from  their  nests.  This  mode 
he  had  often  used  against  the  Indians.  It  was 
now  decided  by  the  two  colonels  that  it  would 
be  the  best  plan,  therefore,  to  collect  all  the 


no         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

riflemen  they  could  and  hasten  across  the 
mountains  and  cripple  or  overwhelm  Fergu 
son  before  he  could  either  reach  their  humble 
cabins  or  join  the  army  of  Cornwallis.  They 
decided  to  sound  the  alarm  and  call  upon  the 
brave  pioneers  to  rendezvous  at  the  Syca 
more  Shoals  on  the  25th  of  September,  ready 
to  defend  their  homes.  The  two  men  then 
separated,  Shelby  returning  to  his  home  to 
gather  his  rifle  rangers  and  secure  the  as 
sistance  of  the  Virginia  militia  of  the  upper 
Holston  region,  while  Sevier  was  to  collect 
his  riflemen  and  secure  the  aid  of  McDowell 
and  his  refugees,  who  were  still  in  the  west 
ern  settlements. 

Colonel  Shelby  sent  his  brother  Moses  with 
a  letter  to  Colonel  William  Campbell,  stating 
the  critical  condition  and  urging  him  to  unite 
his  force  with  the  Wataugans  in  their  efforts 
to  crush  Ferguson.  To  Shelby's  disappoint 
ment  Colonel  Campbell  did  not  at  first  ap 
prove  of  the  plan  and  refused  to  cooperate 
with  him  and  Sevier.  Shelby  at  once  sent 
another  letter  urging  more  earnestly  his  as 
sistance.  This  time  the  brave  old  Virginian 
yielded  and  brought  four  hundred  of  his  best 
riflemen  to  the  rendezvous.  Shelby  collected 
two  hundred  and  forty  men  in  Sullivan 
County,  and  Sevier  the  same  number  in 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         in 

Washington   County.     To  these  were  added 
the  refugee  Whigs  of  McDowell. 

This  ingathering  of  the  western  settlers  for 
the  defence  of  their  country  presents  an  in 
teresting  picture.  They  were  a  handful  of 
militia,  not  a  thousand  strong,  unknown  to 
the  world,  but  they  were  brave  and  thor 
oughly  determined  to  fight  Ferguson.  The 
men,  women,  and  children  of  the  whole  set 
tlement  were  at  the  rendezvous  at  Sycamore 
Shoals  to  bid  a  loving  farewell  to  those  they 
loved,  for  it  was  not  certain  that  the  soldiers 
would  ever  return  from  the  expedition.  Pro 
visions  for  the  march  had  been  collected  from 
the  little  farms.  Every  boy  able  to  bear  a  rifle 
was  there,  eager  to  go  to  war.  It  was  an 
odd-looking  little  army.  Officers  and  sol 
diers  were  clad  only  in  their  hunting-shirts, 
but  they  were  well  armed  with  tomahawks, 
butcher-knives,  and  Deckard  rifles.  Some  of 
them  had  never  seen  war,  but  many  of  them 
had  grappled  with  the  Indian  warriors,  and 
some  had  measured  swords  with  the  British 
in  Shelby's  campaigns,  a  short  time  before. 
Campbell,  stern  and  dignified;  Shelby,  taci 
turn  and  determined;  McDowell,  easy,  digni 
fied  and  courageous;  Sevier,  vivacious,  ener 
getic  and  gallant,  moved  about  among  their 
soldiers  like  gentlemen  at  a  social  gathering. 


ii2        THE  LIFE   OF  SEVlER 

Everybody  felt  at  ease,  yet  all  caught  the  spirit 
which  thrilled  the  nerves  of  the  commanders. 
None  feared  the  British. 

It  was  decided  to  leave  the  old  men  to  de 
fend  the  women  ,and  :  children  against  any 
Indian  attack  that  might  be  made  while  they 
were  away.  The  younger  fathers  and  older 
sons  were  to  go  upon  the  march.  One  of 
Sevier's  sons  was  chosen  to  go  with  the 
army,  and  a  younger  one,  not  yet  sixteen, 
wanted  to  go  with  his  father  and  brother  and 
begged  his  mother  so  earnestly  that  she  called 
to  Sevier,  saying,  "  Here,  Mr.  Sevier,  is  an 
other  of  our  boys  that  wants  to  go  with  his 
father  and  brother  to  war;  but  we  have  no 
horse  for  him,  and,  poor  fellow,  it  is  a  great 
distance  to  walk."  A  horse  was  secured  for 
the  little  soldier  boy,  and  he  went  to  war 
and  afterwards  fought  like  a  little  hero. 

Old  and  young  came  together,  eager  for 
war;  but  who  was  to  defray  the  expenses  of 
the  expedition?  Every  dollar  had  been  spent 
in  taking  up  public  lands  and  was  then  in  the 
hands  of  the  entry-taker.  Sevier  tried  to  bor 
row  the  money  on  his  own  credit,  but  he 
could  not  find  a  dollar.  He  went  to  John 
Adair,  the  entry-taker,  and  told  him  that  the 
expedition  was  about  to  prove  a  failure  for 
the  lack  of  money  to  pay  the  expenses  and 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         113 

suggested  that  the  public  money  be  used  for 
that  purpose. 

"  Colonel  Sevier,"  said  Mr.  Adair,  "  I  have 
no  authority  by  law  to  make  that  disposition 
of  this  money.  It  belongs  to  the  impover 
ished  treasury  of  North  Carolina,  and  I  dare 
not  appropriate  a  cent  of  it  to  any  purpose. 
But  if  the  country  is  overrun  by  the  British, 
liberty  is  gone.  Let  the  money  go  too.  Take 
it.  If  the  enemy,  by  its  use,  is  driven  from 
the  country,  I  can  trust  that  country  to 
justify  and  vindicate  my  conduct.  Take 
it." 

On  the  morning  after  the  ingathering  at 
Sycamore  Shoals,  the  soldiers  arose  long  be 
fore  sunrise  and  began  the  preparation  for 
the  march.  While  the  loving  house-wives 
and  daughters  prepared  breakfast,  the  men 
fed  their  horses.  The  sound  of  voices  was 
everywhere  heard,  the  grim  war-worn  com 
manders  planning  the  march,  the  fond  wives 
talking  over  the  affairs  of  the  homes  now  to 
be  left  to  their  care,  the  children  playing  with 
each  other,  little  thinking  of  the  long  absence 
of  their  fathers  and  brothers.  The  breakfast 
was  served  hastily,  the  horses  were  saddled, 
and  every  soldier  made  ready  for  the  march. 
But,  before  the  march  was  begun,  all  the 
armed  soldiers  assembled  and  stood  with 


H4         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

bowed  heads  while  the  Reverend  Doctor  Doak, 
with  uplifted  hands,  invoked  the  blessings  of 
Heaven  upon  them  and  besought  God  to  fight 
their  battles.  The  spirit  of  war  thrilled  the 
bosom  of  every  brave  soldier  leaning  in  rev 
erence  on  his  long  rifle  as  the  grave  old  min 
ister  called  on  them  to  be  brave  in  battle  and 
to  smite  their  enemy  with  the  sword  of  the 
Lord  and  of  Gideon. 

Then  'the  little  army  took  up  the  line  of 
march.  No  drum  beat  the  advance,  no  mar 
tial  music  stirred  their  brave  souls.  Only 
love  of  home,  liberty,  and  country  prompted 
them  to  face  the  dangers  and  hazards  of  war. 
There  was  no  chaplain,  no  physician,  none  of 
the  accommodations  of  modern  warfare.  "A 
shot-pouch,  a  tomahawk,  a  knife,  a  knapsack 
and  a  blanket,  composed  the  soldier's  outfit. 
At  night,  the  earth  afforded  him  a  bed  and 
the  heavens  a  covering;  the  mountain  stream 
quenched  his  thirst;  while  his  provision  was 
procured  from  supplies  acquired  on  the 
march  by  his  gun." 

A  few  cattle  for  beef  were  driven  in  the 
rear  of  the  army  for  a  while,  but  their  prog 
ress  was  so  slow  that  they  had  to  be  left 
behind. 

The  little  army,  marching  up  Doe  River, 
soon  reached  the  mountains.  Here  they  en- 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         115 

camped.  Next  morning,  traveling  up  the 
pass  between  Roane  and  Yellow  mountains, 
after  hard  marching,  they  reached  the  top. 
The  bald  table-land  was  covered  with  snow, 
and  the  air  was  brisk  and  cool. 

At  roll-call  it  was  found  that  two  men 
from  Sevier's  command,  who  were  undoubt 
edly  Tories,  had  deserted,  and  were  then,  it 
was  thought,  hurrying  to  Ferguson's  camp 
to  warn  him  of  the  coming  danger  The 
situation  was  taxing  to  the  genius  of  the 
commanders,  but  they  turned  quickly  to  the 
left  of  the  usual  road  and  went  down  untrod 
den  passes,  than  which  no  more  difficult  ways 
were  ever  followed  by  an  army  of  horsemen. 
They  descended  the  mountain  into  a  wild 
region  and  crossed  the  Blue  Ridge  at  Gil- 
lespie's  Gap.  From  this  place  they  beheld, 
in  the  region  of  the  upper  Catawba,  the  scat 
tered  cabins  of  the  settlements  which  had  been 
made  by  the  Carolinians  in  the  shadows  of 
the  mountains.  From  here  they  pushed 
boldly  down  the  river  to  Quaker  Meadows, 
the  home  of  McDowell.  Here  they  fell  in 
with  three  hundred  and  fifty  militia  under 
Colonel  Cleveland  and  Colonel  Winston. 
Other  recruits  eager  for  war  were  added  to 
their  ranks  from  day  to  day. 

But   they   had   no   chief   commander,    and 


n6         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

the  officers  met  in  council  to  determine  who 
should  be  their  leader.  Some  feared  that  the 
command  would  fall  upon  Colonel  McDowell, 
who  was  too  old  and  inactive  for  the  place. 
To  quiet  their  fears,  Shelby  told  them  that 
the  enemy  would  likely  soon  be  encountered 
and  that  something  must  at  once  be  done. 
Accordingly,  he  suggested  that  Colonel 
Campbell  be  chosen  their  commander,  as  he 
had  the  largest  regiment  and  was  a  strong 
man,  every  way  worthy  of  the  position. 
Furthermore,  it  was  agreed  that  Colonel  Mc 
Dowell  go  in  person  to  General  Gates  and 
apply  for  an  officer  to  be  assigned  to  the  com 
mand  of  the  little  army.  No  officer  from 
Gates'  army  ever  came,  but  the  riflemen 
marched  on  after  Ferguson.  The  several 
officers  met  in  council  each  night  to  decide 
upon  the  action  for  the  following  day. 

The  two  deserters  succeeded  in  reaching 
Ferguson's  camp,  and  so,  when  the  riflemen 
arrived  at  Gilbert  Town,  they  found  that 
Ferguson  had  fled.  His  army  at  this  time 
was  somewhat  reduced,  a  part  having  been 
sent  towards  Augusta  in  pursuit  of  Elijah 
Clark;  others  being  off  on  furloughs  to  visit 
their  families.  Ferguson  was  a  brave  man, 
but  he  had  a  dread  of  these  Watauga  sol 
diers,  and  could  not  remain  inactive  at  Gil- 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         117 

bert  Town  and  await  the  return  of  his  men. 
He  broke  up  camp  and  retreated  through 
the  woods  and  swamps  towards  Cornwallis, 
calling  upon  the  loyalists  all  along  the  line  of 
march  to  hurry  to  his  assistance.  But  they 
did  not  rush  rapidly  to  his  standard,  for  many 
of  them  seemed  to  realize  that  it  was  useless. 
As  he  hastened  along,  he  sent  out  a  circular 
letter  containing  this  appeal:  "If  you  wish 
to  live  and  bear  the  name  of  men,  grasp  your 
arms  in  a  moment  and  run  into  camp.  The 
Backwater  men  have  crossed  the  mountain; 
McDowell,  Hampton,  Shelby,  and  Cleveland 
are  at  their  head,  so  that  you  knowr  what  to 
depend  upon.  If  you  choose  to  be  degraded 
forever  and  ever  by  a  set  of  mongrels,  say  so 
at  once,  and  let  your  women  turn  their  backs 
upon  you,  and  look  out  for  real  men  to  pro 
tect  them." 

Ferguson  sent  runners  to  Lord  Cornwallis, 
informing  him  of  the  critical  situation  and 
begging  him  for  reinforcements.  At  the 
same  time  he  was  marching  in  the  direction 
of  Cornwallis. 

The  riflemen,  however,  had  gained  a  more 
exact  knowledge  of  Ferguson's  route  and 
moved  on  in  haste  to  the  Cowpens,  where 
they  were  joined  by  a  few  men  under  Colonel 
Williams,  Major  Chronicle,  and  Colonel 


n8         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

Hampbright.  The  sun  had  already  sunk  be 
hind  the  hills  when  the  soldiers  arrived,  and 
being  very  hungry,  they  fell  to  skinning 
beeves  and  roasting  the  flesh  on  the  blazing 
camp-fires  for  their  supper.  Both  men  and 
horses  feasted  upon  the  sweet  juicy  ears  of 
a  fifty-acre  corn-field  which  belonged  to  the 
rich  old  Tory  who  owned  the  Cowpens. 

While  here  the  crippled  spy,  Joseph  Kerr, 
came  into  camp  with  tidings  that  Ferguson 
was  within  six  miles  of  King's  Mountain.  It 
was  deemed  proper,  however,  to  obtain  more 
exact  information  of  his  position.  So,  Major 
Chronicle  suggested  Enoch  Gilmer  as  the 
most  suitable  man  in  the  army,  "  for "  said 
he,  "  Gilmer  can  assume  any  character  that 
occasion  may  require;  he  can  cry  and  laugh 
in  the  same  breath,  and  all  who  saw  it  would 
believe  he  was  in  earnest;  he  could  act  the 
part  of  a  lunatic  so  well  that  no  one  could 
discover  him;  above  all,  he  was  a  stranger  to 
fear/'  Gilmer  accepted  the  commission  and 
at  once  set  out  on  his  journey.  Within  a 
few  miles  of  the  Cowpens,  he  entered  the 
house  of  a  Tory,  and  told  his  host  he  was  a 
loyalist  seeking  Ferguson's  headquarters. 
Gilmer  drew  from  the  old  Tory  the  exact 
movements  of  Ferguson  and  the  communica 
tion  he  was  carrying  on  with  Cornwallis.  A 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         119 

few  hours  later,  Gilmer  was  back  in  camp 
relating  the  facts  he  had  gathered. 

After  supper,  a  council  of  officers  was  held 
in  which  it  was  decided  to  choose  the  freshest 
soldiers,  the  swiftest  horses,  and  the  surest 
rifles,  and  fall  upon  Ferguson  before  he  could 
flee  to  Cornwallis  or  be  reinforced.  The 
choice  was  soon  made,  and  nine  hundred  and 
ten  expert  riflemen  mounted  the  refreshed 
horses  a  little  after  9  o'clock,  and  plunged 
into  the  wilderness  in  pursuit  of  Ferguson. 
A  few  eager  footmen  followed  close  on  the 
heels  of  the  horsemen  and  reached  the  bat 
tlefield  in  time  to  do  their  share  of  the  fight 
ing.  The  other  less  able  men  and  horses  fol 
lowed  more  leisurely. 

On  October  6,  Ferguson  reached  King's 
Mountain  and  pitched  camp  on  a  rocky,  half- 
isolated  spur  of  the  main  mountain.  The 
summit  of  the  ridge  is  about  five  hundred 
yards  in  length,  from  seventy  to  eighty  yards 
in  width,  and  not  more  than  sixty  feet  above 
the  surrounding  country.  Here  he  felt  safe 
from  danger  and  decided  to  wait  for  rein 
forcements. 

After  leaving  the  blazing  camp-fires  at 
Cowpens,  the  backwoodsmen  had  a  hard 
night,  for  it  was  dark  and  drizzling.  It  was 
so  dark  and  foggy  that  many  of  the  riflemen 


120         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

got  scattered  in  the  woods,  but  fortunately 
reached  their  ranks  next  day.  That  very 
night  Ferguson  and  his  men  lay  quietly  slum 
bering  in  their  tents  on  King's  Moun 
tain. 

In  the  morning,  just  before  the  break  of 
day,  Gilmer  was  sent  to  the  crossing  of  Broad 
River  to  reconnoiter.  As  the  soldiers  ap 
proached  the  river,  they  heard  him  singing 
"  Barney  Linn,"  a  popular  song  of  that  day. 
They  knew  now  that  the  way  was  safe.  About 
sunrise  the  little  army  forded  Broad  River 
at  Cherokee  Ford.  At  the  outset  they  had 
learned  that  about  six  hundred  Tories  had 
assembled  at  Major  Gibbs',  only  four  miles 
to  their  right,  and  were  arranging  to  join 
Ferguson  next  day.  Some  of  the  officers 
desired  to  destroy  them  before  finding  Fergu 
son,  but  to  this  Shelby  and  Sevier  would  not 
consent.  They  had  conceived  the  plan  for 
catching  Ferguson  and  they  were  determined 
to  carry  it  out. 

The  clouds  turned  into  a  drenching  rain ; 
and,  during  the  forenoon  of  the  7th,  the  sol 
diers  could  keep  their  guns  and  powder  dry 
only  by  wrapping  them  in  their  sacks,  blan 
kets,  and  hunting-shirts.  The  roads  became 
so  muddy  that  some  of  the  horses  gave  out. 
But  Ferguson's  trail  became  fresher  and 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         121 

fresher,  and  the  little  army,  both  horse  and 
foot,  pushed  eagerly  onward  in  the  rain. 

At  Ferguson's  former  camping  place  the 
soldiers  halted  in  the  pouring  rain  long 
enough  to  eat  some  roasted  beef  for  breakfast; 
then  they  pushed  forward  again.  Gilmer  had 
been  sent  on  ahead  to  secure  what  information 
he  could.  The  patriots  now  came  within  view 
of  King's  Mountain.  Halting  at  a  house  by 
the  roadside,  Campbell  learned  that  Fergu 
son's  camp  was  only  nine  miles  distant.  As 
he  was  riding  off  in  full  gallop,  Campbell 
heard  the  voice  of  a  girl  calling  him. 

"How  many  of  you  are  there?"  asked  the 
girl. 

"  Enough  to  whip  Ferguson  if  we  can  find 
him,"  answered  the  Colonel. 

Pointing  her  finger  at  King's  Mountain, 
she  said,  with  a  smile,  "  He  is  on  that 
mountain."  And  he  was. 

The  fresher  the  scent  of  the  fox,  the  more 
eagerly  the  hounds  pursue,  so  the  riflemen 
pushed  onward  with  greater  speed.  A  few 
miles  farther  on,  Campbell  halted  at  the  house 
of  a  Tory.  Entering,  he  found  Gilmer  din 
ing  and  hurrahing  for  King  George,  wrhile  an 
old  woman  and  her  two  daughters  were  wait 
ing  upon  him.  To  have  some  fun,  Campbell, 
in  a  stern  voice,  ordered  a  rope  put  around 


122         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

the  spy's  neck  and  commanded  that  he  be 
hanged  a  short  distance  up  the  road.  The 
girls  wept  bitterly  and  begged  earnestly  for 
his  life. 

After  getting  out  of  sight,  Gilmer  began 
to  laugh  heartily  and  said  to  Shelby,  "  Col 
onel,  I  found  them  such  loyal  friends  I 
couldn't  help,  from  pure  sympathy,  giving 
both  the  girls  a  smack."  Gilmer  had  obtained 
all  the  information  about  Ferguson's  position 
and  forces  the  officers  desired,  and  a  short 
halt  was  called  to  plan  the  attack. 

Some  of  the  riflemen  had  hunted  deer  in 
the  region  around  King's  Mountain,  and  dur 
ing  the  previous  fall  some  of  them  had 
camped  on  the  spot  where  Ferguson's  army 
was  now  perched,  hence  they  were  perfectly 
familiar  with  the  region.  From  the  informa 
tion  they  furnished,  it  was  decided  to  sur 
round  the  hill  and  hold  the  enemy  on  top  and 
destroy  them  by  pouring  into  their  'ranks, 
from  all  sides  at  once,  a  deadly  fire.  There 
could  be  no  danger  of  shooting  each  other, 
as  they  would  all  fire  up  hill  and  the  British 
would  most  likely  overshoot  them. 

Before  the  march  was  again  resumed,  a 
messenger  galloped  hurriedly  up  to  the  army 
to  inform  Colonel  William  Graham  that  his 
wife  was  at  the  point  of  death.  By  Camp- 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         123 

bell's  advice  and  consent  Graham  left  to  at 
tend  her  bedside. 

Orders  having  been  given  to  march,  the 
soldiers  again  put  spurs  to  their  horses.  When 
within  two  miles  of  Ferguson's  camp,  John 
Ponder,  a  man  whom  Colonel  Hampbright 
well  knew  to  be  a  Tory,  was  captured.  Search 
ing  him,  they  found  a  dispatch  from  Fer 
guson  to  Cornwallis  explaining  his  dangerous 
situation  and  begging  for  help.  On  being 
questioned  about  the  British  commander,  the 
youthful  messenger  said  that  Ferguson  was 
dressed  in  a  full  uniform,  but  wore  a  check 
ered  shirt  over  it.  At  this  information  the 
Dutch  commander,  Colonel  Hampbright, 
burst  out  with  a  hearty  laugh  and  exclaimed, 
"  Poys,  hear  dot?  Shoot  for  the  man  mid 
the  pig  shirt!" 

Laughing  at  the  Dutchman's  \vords,  the 
jaded  soldiers  pressed  onward  with  lighter 
hearts  into  the  very  shadow  of  the  mountain. 
Here  they  met  Henry  Watkins,  a  Whig 
prisoner  just  released  by  Ferguson,  from 
whom  they  gained  exact  details  of  the  British 
fortifications  and  strength.  The  soldiers  were 
at  once  drawn  up  in  two  lines  to  surround 
the  hill,  the  right  line  being  led  by  Colonel 
Campbell,  the  left  by  Colonel  Cleveland. 
Then  "they  moved  up  a  branch  and  ravine, 


124         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

between  the  rocky  knobs,  beyond  which  the 
enemy's  camp  was  in  full  view,  one  hundred 
poles  in  front  of  them,"  purposely  to  cut  off 
Ferguson's  retreat  if  he  should  attempt  re 
treat. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

THE  BATTLE  OF  KING'S  MOUNTAIN 

IT  WAS  now  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon. 
The  rain  had  ceased,  and  the  sun  had  dis 
pelled  the  rain-clouds  and  thrown  a  glorious 
light  upon  the  battle-hill.  The  horses  were 
tethered  in  the  woods,  just  after  crossing 
King's  Creek.  Every  man  was  ordered  to 
"  tie  up  his  overcoat  and  blanket,  throw  the 
priming  out  of  his  pan,  pick  his  touch -hole, 
prime  anew,  examine  his  bullets,  and  see  that 
everything  was  in  readiness  for  battle."  A 
few  men  were  detailed  to  take  care  of  the 
horses;  but  afterwards,  when  the  battle 
opened,  they  hurried  up  the  hill  to  take  part 
in  the  struggle,  leaving  the  horses  to  take 
care  of  themselves. 

Ferguson  had  not  yet  discovered  the  rifle 
men.  He  was  perched  on  the  summit  of  the 
mountain  feeling  as  secure  as  an  eagle  in  his 
eyrie.  A  sentinel  had  just  returned  to  his 
camp  and  stated  that  there  was  no  danger  at 
hand.  His  fighting  force  numbered  a  thou 
sand,  more  or  less,  and  was  made  up  of  New 
125 


126         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

Jersey  Volunteers,  King's  Rangers,  Queen's 
Rangers,  and  many  Tories — all  well  armed 
and  well  disciplined  in  the  use  of  the  rifle, 
the  sword,  and  the  bayonet.  At  the  foot  of 
the  hill  were  the  backwoodsmen,  about  nine 
hundred  and  fifty  strong,  clad  in  their  hunt 
ing-shirts  and  skin-caps  and  armed  with 
Deckards,  tomahawks,  and  long  knives.  They 
had  had  no  sleep  for  many  hours  and  very 
little  rest  or  refreshment,  but  every  man  had 
energy  for  a  hard  battle.  The  sides  of  the 
battle-hill,  steep  and  rugged,  were  covered  with 
trees  and  shrubs,  making  it  difficult  to  climb. 
On  top  it  was  level,  but  was  well  fortified  with 
rock-ledges  and  baggage-wagons. 

All  things  now  ready,  the  regiments  of  the 
mountaineers  began  to  move  up  and  around 
the  hill.  Orders  had  been  given  that  when  the 
riflemen  were  ready  to  begin  the  attack  they 
should  give  the  signal  by  raising  the  Indian 
war-whoop.  For  a  few  minutes  everything 
was  quiet,  and  the  men  made  haste  to  encircle 
the  hill.  The  right  column,  however,  while 
passing  through  a  gap  just  below  the  sum 
mit,  was  discovered  by  a  British  sentinel,  who 
gave  the  alarm.  Mounting  his  horse,  Fer 
guson  sounded  a  silver  whistle;  drums  beat 
to  arms;  everything  was  astir  in  the  British 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         127 

camps;  and  the  soldiers  were  soon  at  their 
respective  posts,  ready  for  fighting. 

Fire  was  opened  on  Shelby  first.  His  men 
begged  to  return  the  fire,  but  the  Colonel  said, 
"  Press  on  to  your  places  and  your  fire  will 
not  be  lost."  Onward  they  pressed  amid  the 
whizzing  bullets  till  they  reached  their  places. 
Then  in  thunder-tones  Shelby  shouted, 
"  Here  they  are,  boys !  Shout  like  hell  and 
fight  like  devils!"  Instantly  the  war-whoops 
from  every  regiment  around  the  hill  rent  the 
mountain  air;  and,  before  the  echo  from  the 
distant  hills  could  be  heard,  the  sharp  cracks 
of  Shelby's  riflemen  announced  that  the  battle 
was  on.  "  These  are  the  same  yelling  devils," 
said  De  Peyster  to  Ferguson,  "  that  were  at 
Musgrove's  Mill." 

The  British  charged  down  upon  Shelby's 
men,  backing  them  to  the  foot  of  the  hill; 
then,  reloading  their  rifles,  the  riflemen  drove 
the  British  bayonets  back  to  the  top.  Camp 
bell,  after  some  little  delay  caused  by  cross 
ing  a  marshy  swamp,  got  up  into  position  on 
the  other  side  and  poured  a  galling  fire  into 
the  backs  of  the  British.  The  Rangers 
charged  desperately,  forcing  Shelby's  men 
down  the  hill,  but  the  reloaded  Deckards 
belched  fire  and  lead  into  Ranger  ranks,  hurl- 


128         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

ing  the  men  lifeless  to  the  ground  or  sending 
them  headlong  over  their  breastworks. 

The  firing  now  became  general  around  the 
hill;  the  whole  mountain  seemed  volcanic. 
Every  time  the  Americans  advanced  to  the 
breastworks  to  pour  into  British  ranks  their 
deadly  volleys,  the  regulars  leaped  over  with 
fixed  bayonets  and  dashed  down  the  moun 
tain  sides  with  such  an  avalanche  charge  that 
they  forced  the  riflemen  to  the  foot.  But  ev 
ery  time,  in  turn,  the  regulars,  scarred  and 
bleeding  from  wounds,  were  forced  to  the 
summit  with  their  ranks  thinned  and  broken. 
The  rocks  and  trees  which  obstructed  the  bay 
onet  charges  furnished  splendid  protection  for 
the  riflemen.  The  charges  were  frequent, 
brave  regulars  dashing,  scrambling,  falling 
headlong  over  rocks  and  rubbish  in  mighty 
efforts  to  thrust  their  bayonets  into  the  bosoms 
of  the  riflemen.  But  these  backwoodsmen 
were  fleet  and  active  and  generally  avoided 
the  bayonets. 

The  battle's  roar  reached  Colonel  Graham 
who  was  hurrying  to  the  bedside  of  his  dy 
ing  wife.  He  forgot  his  mission  and  turned 
his  horse  at  full  speed  towards  the  mountain 
to  take  part  in  the  battle,  but  he  did  not  arrive 
till  the  victory  was  won. 

On   every    side   men    fought   like    tigers — 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         129 

fought  till  their  faces  were  black  with  smoke 
and  their  hair  was  singed  with  fire.  All 
around  the  hill  lay  the  dead  and  dying.  The 
great-hearted  old  Dutch  commander,  Colonel 
Hampbright,  received  a  ball  through  his 
thigh,  and  the  blood  filled  his  boot  leg.  His 
men  besought  him  to  retire.  "  No,  poys," 
said  he,  "  I  vill  stay  as  long  as  I  can  sit  up." 
Colonel  Williams,  pushing  into  the  thickest 
of  the  fight,  received  a  wound  and  was  borne 
unconscious  to  the  rear.  Water  was  sprinkled 
on  his  face  to  revive  him.  Gasping  for  breath 
and  looking  at  his  men,  he  exclaimed,  "  For 
God's  sake,  boys,  don't  give  up  the  hill ! " 

Ferguson's  men  were  falling  fast,  and  he 
darted  from  place  to  place.  When  his  men 
staggered  and  faltered,  he  cheered  them  with 
the  shrill  blasts  of  his  silver  whistle.  The 
riflemen  drew  the  line  of  attack  near  the  top. 
The  broken  ranks  of  the  regulars  charged  and 
recharged,  and  the  conflict  was  terrible. 

Slowly  the  riflemen  forced  their  way  to  the 
summit.  Sevier  and  his  invincible  Watau- 
gans  pressed  against  the  enemy's  center  and 
received  a  bayonet  charge  from  the  regulars. 
The  conflict  here  became  so  stubborn  that  the 
regulars  were  compelled  to  concentrate  their 
forces  in  a  mighty  effort  to  cripple  or  destroy 
Sevier's  division.  But  the  Wataugans  did  not 


130         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

yield,  and  were  the  first  to  reach  the  summit 
and  hold  their  position.  Captain  Robert  Se- 
vier,  brother  of  Colonel  Sevier,  was  mortally 
wounded  in  the  abdomen  and  died  two  or 
three  days  later. 

As  the  riflemen  closed  in  their  forces  on 
Ferguson's  thinned  and  crippled  ranks,  the 
smoke  became  more  stifling,  the  fighting  more 
stubborn,  and  the  hoarse  war-whoops  more 
deafening  and  frightful.  The  aim  of  the 
backwoodsmen  now  became  so  deadly  and  the 
British  fell  so  fast  that  two  white  flags  were 
hoisted  as  a  token  of  surrender.  But  Fergu 
son  dashed  up  to  the  flags  and  cut  them  down 
with  his  sword,  swearing  that  he  would  never 
surrender  to  such  banditti. 

Captain  De  Peyster,  second  in  command, 
seeing  the  British  troops  huddled  together  and 
shot  down  like  cattle  at  a  slaughter-pen,  beg 
ged  Ferguson  to  surrender.  Realizing  that  all 
was  lost,  Ferguson,  with  a  few  chosen  com 
panions,  made  a  desperate  effort  to  break 
through  the  American  lines  and  escape.  He 
dashed  his  horse  into  Sevier's  line,  cutting  and 
slashing  with  his  sword  till  it  was  broken  off 
at  the  hilt.  Gilleland,  one  of  Sevier's  men, 
first  detected  the  man  "  mid  the  pig  shirt."  He 
quickly  aimed  at  him,  but  his  powder  only 
flashed  in  the  pan.  Turning  to  one  of  his 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         131 

comrades,  Robert  Young,  he  shouted,  "There 
goes  Ferguson — shoot  him !  "  Several  rifles 
fired  about  the  same  time,  and  Ferguson, 
pierced  by  six  or  eight  balls,  tumbled  from 
his  saddle  and  lived  only  a  few  minutes.  The 
British  broke  and  ran  in  among  their  baggage- 
wagons  for  protection  against  the  fatal  balls 
of  the  riflemen. 

The  command  now  fell  upon  De  Peyster, 
who  soon  hoisted  the  white  flag  for  surren 
der.  Following  his  example,  his  men  raised 
their  handkerchiefs.  Most  of  the  firing  ceased 
along  the  American  line,  but  some  of  the  young 
men  did  not  understand  the  meaning  of  the 
white  flag  in  battle  and  kept  firing  with  fatal 
aim.  Others,  who  did  understand  the  mean 
ing,  had  seen  two  or  three  other  flags  hoisted 
and  cut  down,  and  so  they  kept  firing.  One 
of  Sevier's  sons,  having  heard  of  the  fatal 
wound  of  his  uncle  Robert,  was  so  angered 
that  he  kept  firing  into  the  ranks  of  the  sur 
rendering  troops,  until  he  was  finally  stopped. 

De  Peyster  dismounted  and  handed  his 
sword  to  Colonel  Campbell.  The  prisoners 
laid  down  their  arms  and  were  placed  under 
a  double  guard.  The  battle  was  over.  The 
brave  Colonel  Williams  lived  to  hear  the 
shouts  of  victory,  then  breathed  his  last  with 
perfect  satisfaction.  The  victory  was  decisive. 


132         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

Sevier  and  Shelby  with  their  over-mountain 
men  had  come  to  capture  or  overwhelm  Fer 
guson  ;  now  the  brave  Highlander  lay  cold  and 
silent  at  their  feet.  The  Americans  killed  or 
captured  the  whole  of  the  British  force,  ex 
cept  a  very  few  who  escaped  by  wearing  white 
paper  badges  such  as  some  of  the  Americans 
used.  The  whole  fight  lasted  about  an  hour. 
The  loss  of  the  British  in  killed  and  wounded 
probably  amounted  to  more  than  three  hun 
dred,  while  that  of  the  Americans  was  not 
more  than  ninety.1 

Thus  ended  the  battle  of  King's  Mountain, 
fought  October  7,  1780.  General  Bernard, 
an  aid-de-camp  to  Napoleon,  on  examining 
this  battle-ground  at  a  later  time,  said :  "  The 
Americans,  by  their  victory  in  that  engage 
ment,  erected  a  monument  to  perpetuate  the 
memory  of  the  brave  men  who  had  fallen 
there;  and  the  shape  of  the  hill  itself  would 
be  an  eternal  monument  of  the  military  genius 
and  skill  of  Colonel  Ferguson,  in  selecting  a 
position  so  well  adapted  for  defence;  no  other 
plan  of  assault  but  that  pursued  by  the  moun 
tain  men,  could  have  succeeded  against  him." 

The  Americans  camped  the  following  night 
on  the  battle-hill.  The  next  day  was  Sunday. 
At  early  dawn  the  Americans  buried  the  dead. 

1  Schenck's  "  North  Carolina,"  p.   174. 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER         133 

Ferguson  was  buried  in  a  shallow  ditch  near 
where  he  fell.  Tradition  says  that  his  burial 
robe  wras  nothing  more  than  a  beef's  hide.  The 
wolves  in  countless  numbers  later  went  among 
the  graves  and  scratched  up  some  of  the  dead 
soldiers.  The  place,  therefore,  became  a  great 
center  for  wolf  hunting. 

Casting  lots  for  Ferguson's  personal  effects 
as  souvenirs  of  the  battle,  Captain  Joseph  Mc 
Dowell  received  his  set  of  china  dinner  plates 
and  a  small  coffee  cup  and  saucer;  Colonel 
Shelby  got  his  silver  whistle ;  Colonel  Camp 
bell  was  allotted  his  papers  and  correspond 
ence;  Colonel  Cleveland,  who  had  lost  his 
horse  in  the  battle,  was  awarded  his  white 
horse,  and  his  silken  sash  and  his  commission 
as  lieutenant-colonel  fell  into  the  hands  of 
Sevier. 

After  the  burial  of  the  dead  and  attention 
to  the  wounded  of  both  armies,  the  victorious 
riflemen  burnt  the  British  tents  and  baggage- 
wagons  and  began  to  march  in  the  direction  of 
their  homes.  The  prisoners  trudged  along  on 
foot,  bearing  their  own  arms,  care  being  taken 
to  remove  all  the  flints  from  the  locks.  They 
were  at  all  times  kept  under  a  close  guard,  but 
they  had  been  so  cowed  by  their  defeat  that 
they  felt  it  useless  to  attempt  to  escape.  The 
victors  pressed  on  as  fast  as  possible,  keeping 


134         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

near  the  mountains,  for  they  feared  an  attack 
from  Cornwallis.  There  was  no  danger,  how 
ever,  for  Cornwallis  was  then  retreating  from 
Charlotte  towards  the  coast.  He  had  received 
one  of  the  messages  from  Ferguson  and  had 
ordered  Tarleton  to  go  to  his  rescue;  but, 
when  he  heard  of  the  defeat  at  King's  Moun 
tain  and  of  the  exaggerated  number  of  the 
mountain  victors,  he  quickly  recalled  Tarle 
ton  and  sought  safety  in  retreat. 

On  October  I4th  a  halt  was  called  and  a 
court-martial  held  at  Bickerstaff's  Old  Field  in 
Rutherford  County  to  try  some  of  the  prison 
ers  for  desertion  and  graver  crimes.  Some 
of  the  soldiers  and  commanders,  still  remem 
bering  the  unmerciful  treatment  which  befell 
the  unfortunate  Americans  while  the  British 
were  in  possession  of  the  South,  were  burning 
for  revenge.  Thirty  of  the  prisoners  were 
brought  under  the  gallows,  and  the  work  of 
execution  commenced.  After  nine  of  these 
had  been  hanged,  Sevier  and  Shelby  inter 
fered  and  saved  the  lives  of  the  remainder. 
Among  the  executed  was  Captain  Grimes 
from  Watauga,  who,  as  we  have  seen,  was  the 
leader  of  a  band  of  Tory  kidnappers  in  the 
western  settlements. 

/The  army  was  now  broken  up.     Nolichucky 
Jack  and  his  braves  hurried  across  the  moun- 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         135 

tains  to  their  homes,  for  they  were  expecting 
an  Indian  attack  upon  the  Watauga  settle 
ments,  and  Campbell,  Shelby,  and  Cleveland 
carried  the  remaining  prisoners  to  Virginia. 
Passing  through  Hillsboro,  they  made  an  of 
ficial  report  of  the  battle  to  General  Gates, 
who  was  there  brooding  over  his  own  terrible 
defeat  at  Camden.  The  report  must  have 
cheered  his  broken  spirit  and  animated  his 
shattered  forces  now  idle  in  their  tents. 

On  the  arrival  of  the  victorious  riflemen  at 
Watauga,  there  was  much  rejoicing.  We  may 
imagine  the  solemn  mien  of  Doctor  Doak  as 
he  greeted  them  with  his  benediction,  for  his 
earnest  prayer  had  been  fully  answered  in  the 
victory  at  King's  Mountain,  which  was,  in  the 
language  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  "the  joyful 
enunciation  of  that  turn  in  the  tide  of  success, 
that  terminated  the  Revolutionary  War  with 
the  seal  of  our  independence." 


CHAPTER    IX 

BATTLES  WITH  THE  INDIANS 

UPON  his  return  from  King's  Mountain, 
Colonel  Sevier  was  not  surprised  to  hear  that 
the  Indians  were  upon  the  war-path.  He  had 
not  reached  the  settlements  an  hour  too  soon. 
The  old  Indian  trader,  Isaac  Thomas,  and  an 
other  trader,  named  Harlan,  were  there  await 
ing  his  return;  for  they  had  had  a  message 
of  warning  from  Nancy  Ward.  The  country 
was  alarmed,  and  the  people  from  the  remote 
cabins  had  left  their  homes  and  garnered  crops, 
and  fled  to  the  forts  for  protection.  On  the 
march  home,  Colonel  Sevier  had  sent  Captain 
Russell  in  advance  to  hold  the  Indians  in  check 
in  case  they  should  attack  the  settlers  before 
his  return.  Russell  hurried  across  the  moun 
tain  and  organized  the  militia  to  meet  the  ex 
pected  invasion. 

Without  a  day's  rest,  Sevier  again  sprang 
into  his  saddle  to  lead  a  campaign  against  the 
Indians.  He  knew  they  had  been  armed  by 
British  agents,  so  he  proposed  to  lose  no  time 
in  discomfiting  them.  Notwithstanding  the 
136 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         137 

fact  that  he  had  been  in  the  saddle  almost  day 
and  night  for  more  than  three  weeks,  riding 
among  the  craggy  peaks  and  dismal  swamps 
without  substantial  food  to  eat,  he  started  the 
first  week  in  December,  1780,  upon  a  march 
with  over  two  hundred  expert  riflemen,  ex 
pecting  to  meet  Colonel  Arthur  Campbell  of 
the  Virginia  border  with  his  riflemen  at  the 
French  Broad. 

On  the  second  night  of  the  march,  he  camped 
at  Long  Creek,  Captain  Guess  being  sent 
forward  with  scouts  to  look  for  Indians. 
Ascending  a  small  knoll,  the  scouts  found 
themselves  face  to  face  with  a  large  band  of 
Indians  only  forty  yards  distant.  They  fired 
upon  the  savages  from  their  horses  and  gal 
loped  back  to  camp  with  the  tidings.  The  In 
dians  returned  the  fire,  but  without  effect.  Se- 
vier  prepared  to  receive  a  night  attack.  His 
soldiers  lay  on  their  arms,  but  were  undis 
turbed.  During  the  night  the  riflemen  were 
joined  by  about  seventy  Wataugans  who  had 
come  up  by  forced  marching.  Next  morning 
the  march  was  resumed,  with  spies  in  front, 
the  army  pursuing  the  Indians  very  cautiously, 
for  fear  of  an  ambush.  They  found  the  body 
of  an  Indian  killed  by  the  scouts  the  evening 
before.  As  it  is  the  custom  of  the  Indians  to 
bear  off  their  dead  and  \vounded,  the  Wau- 


138         THE  LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

taugans,  were,  therefore,  fully  convinced  that 
the  Indians  had  made  a  rapid  retreat,  and  they 
pushed  on  with  a  more  vigorous  pursuit.  They 
reached  the  French  Broad;  but,  not  finding 
Colonel  Campbell  as  expected,  crossed  the 
river  at  Big  Island  and  camped  at  Boyd's 
Creek. 

Early  next  morning  the  advance-guard  un 
der  Captain  Stinson  found,  about  three  miles 
away,  the  place  where  the  Indians  had  recently 
camped.  Their  camp-fires  were  still  burning. 
As  soon  as  Colonel  Sevier  was  informed  of 
the  fact,  he  ordered  his  army  to  march  to  the 
front  in  three  divisions,  the  center  commanded 
by  himself,  the  right  wing  by  Major  Jesse 
Walton,  and  the  left  wing  by  Major  Jonathan 
Tipton.  The  scouts  were  ordered  to  fire  upon 
the  Indians  when  they  discovered  them  and 
then  retreat  towards  the  main  army  to  draw 
the  enemy  into  ambush.  By  and  by  the  sol 
diers,  hearing  vigorous  firing  in  the  distance, 
quickly  formed  in  a  half  moon  and  concealed 
themselves  in  the  grass  and  undergrowth.  The 
stratagem  worked  well.  The  Indians  followed 
the  scouts  furiously  right  into  the  center.  Se- 
vier's  men  lay  quiet  till  they  were  close,  then 
broke  their  ranks  with  a  destructive  fire  from 
the  fatal  Deckards.  Walton's  wing  fell  heavily 
upon  the  dusky  fellows,  but  Tipton  was  too 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER         139 

slow,  and  the  panic-stricken  warriors  fled 
through  the  opening  thus  made  to  a  dense 
swamp,  and  escaped.  Not  one  of  the  soldiers 
was  killed  or  even  wounded,  but  several  In 
dians  fell.  Many  weapons  and  all  of  their 
plunder  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  victors.  Let 
ters  from  Sir  Henry  Clinton  and  other  British 
officers  were  found  in  the  captured  bundles. 
This  battle  has  ever  since  been  known  as  the 
battle  of  Boyd's  Creek. 

After  this  battle,  Colonel  Sevier  led  his  men 
back  to  the  French  Broad  and  awaited  the  ar 
rival  of  Colonel  Campbell  and  his  men.  His 
prompt  action  and  swift  movement  had  saved 
the  settlements  from  an  invasion.  Had  he 
waited  for  Colonel  Campbell,  the  Indians  by 
this  time  would  have  been  in  the  settlements 
burning,  slaying,  and  scalping. 

The  Indians  now  concentrated  their  forces 
at  the  main  ford  of  the  Little  Tennessee,  one 
mile  below  Chota,  where  they  expected  the 
combined  forces  of  the  enemy  would  attempt 
to  cross.  But  the  army  crossed  at  the  lower 
ford.  Climbing  the  opposite  bank,  one  of  the 
horsemen  saw  a  large  party  of  Indians  sta 
tioned  on  a  high  place  watching  their  move 
ments.  These  soon  retreated  before  the  rifle 
men  and  disappeared  from  view.  The  army, 
after  crossing  the  river,  separated  into  two 


140         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

divisions  and  burned  Chota,  Chilhowee,  and 
other  towns  along  the  streams.  The  Indians 
fled  before  the  cavalry,  and  the  hungry  troops 
feasted  upon  the  corn,  beans,  pumpkins,  and 
other  things  which  the  fleeing  Indians  had  left. 

While  it  was  destroying  the  Indian  wig 
wams,  Nancy  Ward  met  the  army  with  a  mes 
sage  from  Watts  and  Noonday,  who  begged 
for  peace.  But  Campbell  and  Sevier  wished 
first  to  reduce  to  ashes  all  the  Hiawassee  vil 
lages.  On  their  way  to  these  villages,  they 
frequently  skirmished  with  the  Indians,  sev 
eral  of  whom  were  killed.  In  one  skirmish 
Captain  Elliot  was  killed.  His  body  was  bur 
ied  at  Tellico  beneath  a  hut,  which  was  burned 
down  over  his  grave  to  hide  it  from  the  In 
dians.  The  Hiawassee  villages  were  burned, 
the  cattle  killed,  and  the  grain  supplies  de 
stroyed. 

Although  the  Indian  country  had  been  laid 
waste,  their  towns  burned,  their  food  supplies 
destroyed,  many  of  their  braves  killed,  and 
many  of  their  wromen  and  children  captured, 
and  although  the  old  chiefs,  John  Watts  and 
Noon  Day,  had  sued  for  peace,  the  young 
warriors  showed  no  disposition  to  discontinue 
their  warfare.  Such  stubborn  conduct  caused 
Colonel  Sevier,  Colonel  Campbell,  and  Joseph 
Martin  to  send  to  the  chiefs  and  warriors  the 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         141 

following  appeal,  signed  at  Kai-a-tee,  January 
4,  1871: 

"Chiefs  and  warriors,  we  came  into  your 
country  to  fight  your  young  men.  We  have 
killed  many  of  them  and  destroyed  your  towns. 
You  know  you  began  the  war  by  listening  to 
the  bad  councils  of  the  King  of  England  and 
the  falsehoods  told  you  by  his  agents.  We  are 
now  satisfied  with  what  is  done,  as  it  may  con 
vince  your  nation  that  we  can  distress  you 
much  at  any  time,  when  you  are  so  foolish  as 
to  engage  in  war  against  us.  If  you  desire 
peace,  as  we  understand  you  do,  we,  out  of 
pity  to  your  women  and  children,  are  disposed 
to  treat  with  you  on  that  subject. 

"We,  therefore,  send  you  this  by  one  of 
your  young  men,  who  is  our  prisoner,  to  tell 
you,  if  you  are  disposed  to  make  peace,  six 
of  your  head  men  must  come  to  our  agent, 
Major  Martin,  at  the  Great  Island,  within  two 
moons,  so  as  to  give  him  time  to  meet  them 
with  a  flag-guard,  on  Holston  River,  at  the 
boundary  line.  To  the  wives  and  children  of 
those  men  of  your  nation  who  protested 
against  the  war,  if  they  are  willing  to  take  ref 
uge  at  the  Great  Island  until  peace  is  restored, 
\ve  will  give  a  supply  of  provisions  to  keep 
them  alive.  Warriors,  listen  attentively!  If 
we  receive  no  answer  to  this  message  until  the 


142         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

time  already  mentioned  expires,  we  shall  then 
conclude  that  you  intend  to  continue  to  be  our 
enemies.  We  will  then  be  compelled  to  send 
another  strong  force  into  your  country,  that 
will  come  prepared  to  remain  in  it,  to  take 
possession  of  it  as  a  conquered  country,  with 
out  making  you  any  compensation  for  it." 

But  the  treaty  was  not  made  for  some  time 
after  the  "two  moons,"  and  the  Indians  con 
tinued  to  prowl  and  murder  in  the  settlements. 

Sevier  felt  that  the  warriors  of  the  towns  he 
had  just  destroyed  would  not  be  so  soon  on 
the  war-path  without  the  help  of  some  other 
tribe,  and  he  suspected  the  Cherokees  living 
high  up  in  the  mountains  to  be  the  cause  of 
the  continued  hostilities,  and  at  once  resolved 
to  carry  the  war  to  their  mountain  towns. 
The  undertaking  was  hazardous.  The  distance 
was  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  and  the 
trail  wound  about  through  the  deep,  rugged 
defiles  and  up  the  craggy  peaks  of  the  highest 
mountains  east  of  the  Mississippi.  Sevier  se 
lected  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  choice 
riflemen  and  began  the  march.  None  of  the 
soldiers  had  ever  been  in  the  mountain  towns. 
The  faithful  old  trader,  Isaac  Thomas,  the 
only  man  in  the  settlements  who  had  ever  been 
among  the  towns  of  the  mountain  Indians, 
acted  as  guide,  but  even  he  had  never  been 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         143 

over  the  route  they  were  to  travel.  He  al 
ways  ascended  the  mountain  from  another 
side.  Indeed,  it  is  doubtful  if  any  white  man 
ever  tried  the  region  through  which  their 
route  ran.  It  was  so  exceedingly  wild  and 
rugged  that  it  had  been  secure  from  the  in 
vasion  of  the  most  adventurous  hunter.  The 
mountain  streams  wrere  apt  to  be  swollen  from 
snow  and  rain  at  this  season  of  the  year. 

Colonel  Sevier  followed  the  French  Broad, 
crossed  the  Ivy  and  the  Swannanoa,  two  swift 
streams  dashing  into  the  French  Broad,  and 
climbed  the  mountain  heights.  The  trail  was 
at  times  so  steep  and  rugged  that  his  men  had 
to  dismount  and  help  their  horses  up.  By  and 
by  the  little  army  reached  the  neighborhood 
of  the  Indians,  and  the  old  trader's  services 
were  in  requisition.  He  guided  the  army  to 
Tuckasejah,  a  village  on  the  headwaters  of 
the  Little  Tennessee.  Sevier  fell  upon  this 
village  with  his  usual  swift  dashing  charge  and 
soon  reduced  it  to  a  heap  of  smoldering  em 
bers.  He  carried  fire  and  sword  to  their  other 
villages  with  the  same  vigorous  energy,  spar 
ing  neither  homes  nor  food,  the  Indians  flee 
ing  panic-stricken.  Many  of  their  bravest  war 
riors  were  slain,  and  fifty  women  and  children 
were  taken  prisoners.  His  work  now  done, 
Sevier  resumed  the  line  of  march  and  disap- 


144         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

peared  in  the  mountains  with  his  captives  as 
suddenly  as  he  had  appeared.  Returning  by 
the  same  route  by  which  they  had  come,  the 
little  army  reached  their  homes  after  an  ab 
sence  of  twenty-nine  days,  having  accom 
plished  the  most  remarkable  campaign  in  the 
history  of  our  Indian  warfare.  Colonel  Se- 
vier  kept  ten  of  the  prisoners  for  three  years 
and  then  exchanged  them  for  white  prisoners. 

Settlers  had  followed  close  on  the  heels  of 
Sevier's  campaigns,  and  this  enraged  the  In 
dians  and  caused  them  very  frequently  to  at 
tack  the  cabins  of  the  advanced  settlers.  Dur 
ing  the  summer  of  1781,  a  party  of  Cherokees 
attacked  the  new  settlement  on  Indian  Creek. 
Colonel  Sevier  took  one  hundred  riflemen  and 
went  down  to  put  an  end  to  the  struggle.  He 
struck  the  trail  of  the  Indians  and  managed 
to  surround  them  by  his  quick  movements  and, 
without  the  loss  of  a  single  man,  killed  seven 
teen  of  their  braves  and  drove  the  remainder 
into  retreat. 

Scarcely  had  the  troops  reached  their  homes 
from  the  Indian  campaign  and  disbanded, 
when  a  messenger  came  to  Sevier's  home  with 
a  dispatch  from  General  Greene.  The  dispatch 
was  dated  September  16,  1781,  and  urged 
Sevier  to  cross  the  mountains  and  help  cut  off 
the  retreat  of  Cornwallis,  in  case  he  should 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         145 

attempt  to  make  his  way  back  to  Charleston. 
The  message  had  been  a  long  time  in  reaching 
its  destination,  and  Sevier  lost  no  time  in  re 
sponding  to  its  call.  Collecting  two  hundred 
mounted  riflemen,  he  crossed  the  mountains 
for  another  swoop  upon  the  British.  Reach 
ing  Charlotte,  North  Carolina,  he  learned  of 
the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown,  a 
surrender  which  virtually  closed  the  war. 

General  Greene  now  suggested  that  Sevier 
join  General  Francis  Marion  in  driving  the 
British  general,  Stuart,  into  Charleston.  Al 
ways  eager  for  action,  Sevier  and  his  men 
sprang  into  their  saddles  and  were  soon  with 
the  "  Swamp  Fox "  at  Davis's  Ferry,  on  the 
Santee.  The  arrival  of  the  over-mountain 
men  gave  encouragement  to  General  Marion 
and  swelled  his  little  army  into  a  splendid 
body  of  cavalry  with  which  he  could  now  in 
flict  a  blow  upon  the  enemy. 

Stuart  was  at  a  place  called  "  Ferguson's 
Swamp,"  on  the  public  highway  leading  to 
Charleston.  Marion  crossed  over  to  the  south 
side  of  the  Santee  and  advanced  towards  the 
enemy.  Having  learned  that  several  hundred 
Hessian  soldiers,  stationed  at  Monk's  Corner, 
about  ten  miles  beyond  the  camp  of  Stuart, 
were  in  a  state  of  mutiny,  he  sent  a  detach 
ment  of  about  five  hundred  of  the  best  rifle- 


146         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

men,  among  whom  were  Sevier  and  Shelby 
with  their  best  marksmen,  under  the  com 
mand  of  Colonel  Mayhem  to  capture  the  Hes 
sians. 

Leaving  the  main  army  of  the  enemy  a 
short  distance  to  the  left,  the  riflemen  in  May 
hem's  charge  pressed  rapidly  through  the 
woods  and  swamps,  and  on  the  evening  of  the 
second  day's  ride  got  within  about  two  miles 
of  Monk's  Corner.  The  riflemen  threw  them 
selves  across  the  public  road  and  slept  on  their 
arms  in  order  to  cut  off  the  retreat  of  the  Hes 
sians  in  case  they  should  attempt  in  the  night 
to  escape  to  Charleston.  Early  in  the  morn 
ing,  Mayhem  sent  in  a  demand  for  surrender, 
but  the  British  commander  declared  that  he 
would  defend  his  post  at  all  hazards,  where 
upon  Shelby  decided  to  take  in  person  the  sec 
ond  demand  for  surrender.  So,  taking  his 
flag  of  truce,  he  advanced  to  the  fort  and  in 
formed  the  commander  that  if  he  was  so  mad 
as  to  allow  his  post  to  be  stormed,  every  one 
of  his  men  would  be  put  to  the  sword.  He 
further  told  him  that  several  hundred  of  the 
over-mountain  riflemen  were  at  hand  and 
would  soon  be  upon  them  with  tomahawks. 
The  British  officer  then  asked  if  the  riflemen 
had  any  artillery?  Shelby  said,  "We  have 
guns  that  will  blow  you  to  atoms  in  a  minute !  " 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         147 

In  a  calmer  tone  the  British  officer  said,  "  I 
suppose  I  must  surrender,"  and  threw  open 
the  gate  of  the  fort. 

While  taking  charge  of  the  prisoners  at 
Monk's  Corner,  the  riflemen  saw  another 
British  post.  It  was  a  large  brick  house,  five 
or  six  hundred  yards  east  of  them,  enclosed 
within  a  strong  abatis,  and  in  it  were  about 
one  hundred  soldiers  and  fifty  dragoons,  who 
could  have  defended  themselves  easily.  Re 
sorting  to  strategy,  some  of  the  soldiers  dis 
mounted  and  marched  in,  as  infantry,  while 
others,  as  a  body  of  cavalry,  rode  boldly  up  to 
the  house  and  demanded  surrender.  The  fort 
was  surrendered  without  the  crack  of  a  rifle; 
and,  in  addition  to  the  prisoners,  three  hun 
dred  stands  of  arms  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
riflemen.  Ninety  prisoners  were  carried  be 
hind  the  horsemen  to  Marion's  camp,  but  the 
officers  and  men  who  were  unable  to  march  |o 
far  were  paroled. 

Stuart  tried  to  recapture  the  prisoners  and 
advanced  to  the  outer  edge  of  the  swamp 
which  surrounded  Marion's  camp.  Sevier  and 
Shelby  were  sent  out  to  skirmish  with  him  and 
lure  him  into  the  swamp  for  a  fight,  but, 
hearing  that  the  over-mountain  men  were  in 
the  swamp  with  Marion,  he  retreated  in  dis 
order  nearly  to  the  gates  of  Charleston. 


148         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

The  British  cooped  up  in  Charleston,  and 
civil  government  once  more  restored  to  South 
Carolina,  Sevier  and  his  men  set  out  for  their 
homes  west  of  the  Alleghanies,  for  they  knew 
not  at  what  hour  the  Indians  would  again  be 
upon  the  war-path.  When  they  reached  their 
homes,  they  found  affairs  in  a  ferment.  Some 
Tories  from  the  Carolinas  had  escaped  the 
vengeance  of  the  Whigs,  and  were  among  the 
Chickamaugas,  inciting  them  to  open  hostili 
ties.  Settlers  kept  crossing  the  French  Broad 
and  building  cabins.  The  Indians  had  sent 
complaints  to  Governor  Martin,  and  he  wrote 
Sevier  about  the  matter.  "  Sir,"  he  wrote, 
"  I  am  distressed  with  the  repeated  complaints 
of  the  Indians  respecting  the  daily  intrusions 
of  our  people  on  their  lands  beyond  the 
French  Broad.  I  beg  you,  sir,  to  prevent  the 
injuries  these  savages  justly  complain  of,  who 
are  constantly  imploring  the  protection  of  the 
State,  and  appealing  to  its  justice  in  vain." 

Another  appeal  was  made  to  the  Governor 
by  the  old  chief,  Tassel.  The  appeal  was  as 
follows,  a  "talk,"  full  of  pathos  not  common 
to  the  Indians : 

"  Brother,  I  am  now  going  to  speak  to  you. 
I  hope  you  will  listen  to  me.  A  string.  I  in 
tended  to  come  this  fall  and  see  you,  but  there 
was  such  confusion  in  our  country,  I  thought 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         149 

it  best  for  me  to  stay  at  home,  and  send  my 
talks  by  our  friend  Colonel  Martin,  who 
promises  to  deliver  them  safe  to  you.  We  are 
a  poor,  distressed  people,  in  great  trouble,  and 
\ve  hope  our  elder  brother  will  take  pity  on  us 
and  do  us  justice.  Your  people  from  Noli- 
chucky  are  daily  pushing  us  out  of  our  lands. 
We  have  no  place  to  hunt  on.  Your  people 
have  built  houses  within  one  day's  walk  of 
our  towns.  We  don't  want  to  quarrel  with  our 
elder  brothers;  we,  therefore,  hope  our  elder 
brother  will  not  take  our  lands  from  us,  that 
the  Great  Man  above  gave  us.  He  made  you 
and  he  made  us ;  we  are  all  his  children,  and 
we  hope  our  elder  brother  will  take  pity  on  us, 
and  not  take  our  lands  from  us  because  he  is 
stronger  than  we  are.  We  are  the  first  people 
that  ever  lived  on  this  land.  It  is  ours,  and 
why  will  our  elder  brother  take  it  from  us? 
It  is  true,  some  time  past,  the  people  over  the 
great  water  persuaded  some  of  our  young  men 
to  do  some  mischief  to  our  elder  brother, 
\vhich  our  principal  men  were  sorry  for.  But 
you,  our  elder  brothers,  came  to  our  towns 
and  took  satisfaction,  and  then  sent  for  us  to 
come  and  treat  with  you,  which  we  did.  Then 
our  elder  brother  promised  to  have  the  line 
run  between  us  agreeably  to  the  first  treaty, 
and  all  that  should  be  found  over  the  line 


150         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

should  be  moved  off.  But  it  is  not  done  yet. 
We  have  done  nothing  to  offend  our  elder 
brother  since  the  last  treaty  and  why  shcuM 
our  elder  brother  want  to  quarrel  with  us? 
We  have  sent  to  the  Governor  of  Virginia  on 
the  same  subject.  We  hope  that,  between  you 
both,  you  will  take  pity  on  your  younger 
brother,  and  send  Colonel  Sevier,  who  is  a 
good  man,  to  have  all  your  people  moved  off 
our  lands." 

Old  Tassel  did  not  express  the  feelings  of 
the  Cherokees  and  Chickamaugas  as  a  whole. 
At  the  very  moment  he  was  making  his  piteous 
appeals  to  his  "elder  brother,"  the  Chicka 
maugas  were  raiding  in  the  settlements  as  far 
up  as  Virginia.  Hence,  instead  of  obeying 
the  Governor's  order  by  pulling  down  the  set 
tlers'  cabins,  Sevier  was  again  compelled  to 
take  up  arms  against  the  Indians.  He  col 
lected  one  hundred  men  from  his  county,  and 
was  joined  by  nearly  as  many  from  Sullivan 
County  under  Colonel  Anderson.  All  the 
troops  came  together  at  Big  Island,  on  the 
French  Broad.  After  a  few  days'  march 
ing  in  the  direction  of  the  enemy,  they 
crossed  the  Tennessee  at  Citico,  where  they 
met  a  large  number  of  Indians,  among  whom 
were  Hanging  Maw  and  John  Watts.  All  the 
chiefs  and  warriors  in  council  agreed  to  re- 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         151 

main  on  friendly  terms,  and  John  Watts  even 
went  with  the  riflemen  to  assist  in  peace  nego 
tiations  with  the  whole  nation. 

After  crossing  the  Hiawassee,  the  soldiers 
entered  the  territory  of  the  hostile  Chicka- 
matigas.  They  soon  destroyed  the  Lookout 
towns  and  pushed  on  to  the  Coosa  River,  burn 
ing  the  towns  and  slaying  the  warriors.  Then, 
leaving  the  smoldering  embers  of  the  deso 
lated  country,  the  Wataugans  set  out  for  their 
homes.  At  Chota  they  held  another  council 
with  the  friendly  Indians.  After  listening  to 
their  peace  talks  and  smoking  the  pipe  of 
peace  with  the  chiefs  and  warriors,  Sevier  and 
his  army  went  quietly  to  their  homes. 

For  a  time  the  Wataugans  engaged  in  peace 
ful  pursuits.  Land  offices  were  opened,  and 
immigrants  of  wealth  and  culture  crossed  the 
mountains  to  seek  new  homes;  the  forts  were 
deserted,  larger  and  more  comfortable  houses 
were  built  for  the  settler,  gristmills  and  saw 
mills  were  built  along  the  streams,  and  schools 
and  church  buildings  were  erected  wherever 
the  people  had  need  of  them.  Jonesboro  was 
fast  becoming  a  center  of  wealth  and  political 
influence.  A  large  log  court-house  twenty- four 
feet  square  was  built.  With  the  increase  of 
population  and  the  execution  of  the  law,  open 
ings  were  made  for  the  doctor  and  the  lawyer. 


152         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

For  a  while  peace  and  happiness  dwelt  in  the 
rustic  homes,  and  the  people  were  free  to  en 
gage  in  their  sports  of  horse-racing,  and  to 
attend  their  log-rollings  and  quilting-bees  with 
out  fear  of  danger. 

The  war  of  the  Revolution  had  closed  with 
the  surrender  of  the  British  at  Yorktown,  fol 
lowed  by  the  Treaty  of  Paris,  September  3, 
1783,  \vhereby  England  acknowledged  the  in 
dependence  of  the  colonies  on  the  North 
American  continent.  There  was  as  yet  no 
"  United  States,"  but  only  a  confederation  of 
States  of  which  North  Carolina  was  one,  and 
one  having  a  poorly  defined  western  border. 


CHAPTER   X 

THE    STATE    OF    FRANKLIN 

IN  June,  1784,  the  Legislature  of  North 
Carolina  passed  an  act  ceding  to  the  Continen 
tal  Congress  all  of  what  is  now  Tennessee.  In 
other  words,  the  parent  State  was  giving  its 
western  lands  to  pay  its  share  of  the  recent 
war  debts,  which  were  very  heavy.  The  rep 
resentatives  from  the  four  western  counties — 
Washington,  Sullivan,  Greene,  and  Cumber 
land — were  present  and  voted  for  the  cession. 
Congress  was  given  two  years  in  which  to  ac 
cept  or  reject  the  gift.  During  this  time,  how 
ever,  the  jurisdiction  of  North  Carolina  was 
to  continue  in  force. 

North  Carolina  had  always  neglected  her 
western  citizens,  and  a  general  feeling  now 
prevailed  that  they  would  suffer  greater  neg 
lect  and  would  be  exposed  to  lawlessness  and 
Indian  depredations  for  two  years.  No  offi 
cers  had  been  appointed  to  call  out  the  militia 
in  time  of  danger,  and  the  people  felt  that  the 
time  had  come  for  them  to  act  upon  their  own 
authority.  So  they  assumed  the  task  of  devis- 
153 


154         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

ing  a  government  of  their  own.  Each  military 
company  of  the  three  eastern  counties  elected 
two  delegates  to  a  convention  which  was  to 
adopt  a  plan  for  a  new  commonwealth.  This 
convention  was  held  at  Jonesboro,  August  23, 
1784.  Sevier  was  chosen  president.  The 
delegates  were  unanimously  in  favor  of  a  sepa 
ration  from  North  Carolina,  and  passed  a 
resolution  declaring  themselves  independent. 
A-  large  crowd  thronged  the  street  in  front  of 
the  little  building  in  which  the  convention  was 
sitting,  anxiously  awaiting  the  result  of  the 
deliberations.  As  soon  as  the  resolution  was 
passed,  it  was  announced  to  the  crowd  and  was 
received  with  hearty  applause.  It  was  further 
agreed  that  another  convention  be  held  at 
Jonesboro  September  16,  for  the  purpose 
of  forming  a  constitution  and  giving  a  name 
to  the  new  State.  This  convention  was  made 
up  of  five  men  elected  from  each  of  the  same 
three  counties.  For  some  reason  the  conven 
tion  did  not  meet  until  November,  and  by  that 
time  two  factions  had  arisen  in  the  ranks  of 
the  seceders.  One  faction  wished  to  act  at 
once;  the  other  was  in  favor  of  waiting  awhile 
longer  in  hopes  that  matters  would  right  them 
selves  in  the  end.  Sevier  belonged  to  the  latter 
class.  In  the  meantime,  having  heard  of  the 
bold  intention  of  the  settlers,  the  Assembly  of 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         155 

North  Carolina  met  at  Newbern,  October 
22,  1784,  and  repealed  the  cession  act,  cre 
ated  the  people  a  new  judicial  district,  ap 
pointed  an  assistant  Judge  and  an  Attorney- 
General  for  the  Supreme  Court,  formed  the 
militia  into  a  brigade,  and  appointed  Colonel 
Sevier  brigadier-general. 

Sevier  himself  felt  that  there  was  now  no 
need  of  going  further  in  the  secession  move 
ment.  On  December  14,  1784,  when  the 
people  were  assembled  at  Jonesboro,  he  made 
a  short  speech  on  the  action  taken  at  New 
bern  by  the  Assembly.  "  Our  grievances/'  said 
he,  "  are  redressed,  and  we  have  nothing  more 
to  complain  of;  my  advice  is  to  cease  all  ef 
forts  to  separate  from  North  Carolina,  but 
remain  firm  and  faithful  to  her  laws."  But 
the  people  were  more  determined  on  secession 
than  Sevier  fancied,  and  on  the  very  day  he 
made  his  address,  the  five  delegates  from  each 
county  met  in  convention  at  Jonesboro.  Se 
vier  was  again  chosen  to  preside  over  the  con 
vention.  After  he  was  conducted  to  the  chair, 
the  Reverend  Samuel  Houston  arose  and 
addressed  the  convention  on  the  object  of  their 
meeting,  and  offered  a  prayer  that  they  might 
receive  counsel  and  wisdom  from  on  high  in 
the  undertakings  in  which  they  were  then  en 
gaged.  A  constitution  for  a  new  State  was 


156         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

submitted  and  agreed  upon,  subject  to  the  rati 
fication  of  a  convention  to  be  chosen  by  the 
people  to  meet  at  Greeneville  November  14, 
1785.  Before  adjourning,  the  convention  took 
action  for  the  immediate  election  of  all  the 
State  officials  as  provided  for  in  the  constitu 
tion. 

Soon  after  the  election,  the  Legislature  met 
and  chose  General  Sevier  Governor.  Landon 
Carter  was  chosen  Speaker  of  the  Senate  and 
Thomas  Talbot,  Clerk;  William  Cage  was 
chosen  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Commons 
and  Thomas  Chapman,  Clerk.  David  Camp 
bell,  who  was  elected  Judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  was  to  be  aided  in  his  courts  by  two  as 
sistant  judges,  Joshua  Gist  and  John  Ander 
son.  At  this  session  of  the  Legislature,  four 
new  counties  were  created,  and  many  acts  were 
passed  for  the  good  of  the  country,  among 
which  was  one  "  for  the  promotion  of  learning 
in  the  County  of  Washington."  In  accord 
ance  with  this  last  act,  Doctor  Doak  established 
his  school,  the  first  academy  founded  in  the 
Mississippi  Valley.  Doak  was  a  graduate  of 
Princeton  College,  as  before  stated,  and  he 
became  a  famous  teacher.  •  His  school  build 
ing  was  a  plain  log  house  built  upon  his  own 
farm. 

The  currency  was  rudely  fixed,  the  value  of 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         157 

the  dollar  being  rated  at  six  shillings.  Money 
was  scarce,  and  a  scale  of  prices  was  fixed 
upon  almost  everything  raised  or  manufactured 
by  the  backwoodsmen.  The  skins  of  animals 
constituted  the  common  currency,  and  were 
made  a  legal  tender.  The  salaries  of  the  State 
officers,  taxes,  marriage  licenses,  in  fact  every 
thing,  could  be  paid  in  skins  or  the  commod 
ities  rated  by  the  Legislature. 

Governor  Sevier  wrote  the  Governor  of 
North  Carolina,  informing  him  in  a  friendly 
manner  of  the  action  of  the  western  settlers 
and  giving  all  the  reasons  for  such  actions. 
The  Governor  of  North  Carolina  replied  in  a 
public  letter,  using  his  strongest  arguments  to 
refute  Sevier's  vindication  of  the  secession. 
He  firmly  declared  that  the  revolting  people 
must  return  to  the  parent  State,  or  be  brought 
back  by  force  of  arms.  He  further  stated  that 
North  Carolina  would  consent  to  the  forming 
of  a  new  State  at  the  proper  time,  but  the 
time,  he  argued,  was  not  at  hand  for  such  an 
undertaking. 

The  authorities  of  the  new  government  next 
sent  a  memorial  to  Congress  by  the  Honor 
able  William  Cocke,  setting  forth  the  condi 
tion  of  the  western  people  and  asking  to  be  re 
ceived  by  the  Federal  Union  as  a  State,  but 
Congress  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  their  petition. 


158         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

To  make  the  situation  more  trying,  an  unfor 
tunate  incident  occurred  at  this  time  in  the 
Indian  country  which  exposed  the  people  to 
further  Indian  depredations  and  called  forth 
graver  censure  from  North  Carolina.  An  In 
dian  chief,  Untoola,  was  killed  by  Col.  James 
Hubbard. 

The  circumstances  of  the  homicide  were 
these:  a  large  inflow  of  immigrants  had  con 
sumed  nearly  all  the  corn  of  the  settlements, 
and  Colonel  Hubbard  and  a  companion  had 
gone  to  the  Indian  country  to  buy  corn. 
Hubbard's  parents  and  brothers  and  sisters 
had  all  been  murdered  by  a  band  of  Shaw- 
nees,  and  he  had  ever  since  been  an  enemy 
to  the  Indian  race.  He  had  doubtless  killed 
more  Cherokees  than  any  other  white  man. 
In  one  of  these  furious  combats,  he  had 
unhorsed  the  chief  Untoola,  better  known 
among  the  white  men  as  Butler.  Butler  had 
become  so  disgraced  in  his  nation  on  account 
of  his  defeat  that  he  yearned  to  kill  Hubbard. 
So,  as  soon  as  he  learned  of  the  Colonel's  visit 
to  his  country,  he  took  with  him  a  warrior  and 
galloped  off  to  meet  Hubbard  in  the  woods. 
The  warriors  met  Hubbard  and  his  companion 
walking  and  leading  their  horses.  Butler  rode 
up  and  demanded  the  object  of  their  visit. 
"  As  the  war  is  over,"  answered  Hubbard, 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER         159 

"we  have  brought  some  clothing  which  we 
desire  to  barter  for  corn."  Then  he  showed 
the  Indians  the  contents  of  one  sack  and  drew 
out  a  bottle  of  whiskey,  which  he  offered  them. 
To  convince  the  Indians  of  his  peaceable  in 
tentions,  he  had  leaned  his  gun  against  a  tree. 
He  then  inquired  about  corn,  but  Butler  gave 
him  no  answer.  The  savage  countenance  of 
the  old  warrior  betrayed  his  wicked  intentions. 
He  turned  his  horse  about,  as  if  he  intended  to 
make  a  dash  between  Hubbard  and  his  gun, 
or  else  to  get  the  white  men  in  line  so  as  to 
kill  them  both  at  a  single  shot.  But  Hubbard's 
eagle  eyes  were  fixed  upon  the  maneuvers  of 
the  chief;  he  dared  not  take  up  his  gun,  as 
that  would  be  regarded  as  a  breach  of  the 
peace  and  renewal  of  war.  However,  he 
reached  his  hand  to  the  muzzle  of  his  gun, 
leaving  the  breach  upon  the  ground,  and 
awaited  the  attack.  Whirling  his  horse  around, 
Butler  aimed  a  blow  at  Hubbard  with  his  gun, 
but  missed  him.  Angered  at  his  failure,  the 
chief  then  quickly  fired  at  Hubbard,  the  ball 
cutting  off  a  thick  lock  of  his  hair  and  stun 
ning  him  slightly.  Both  Indians  retreated  so 
rapidly  that  they  got  eighty  yards  away  be 
fore  Hubbard  could  recover  himself  and  fire. 
But  he  took  sure  aim,  and  at  the  crack  of  his 
rifle,  the  old  chief  tumbled  to  the  ground  fa- 


160         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

tally  wounded.  He  begged  to  be  let  alone,  but 
allowed  Hubbard  to  lift  him  up  against  a  tree 
so  he  could  breathe  easier.  On  being  asked 
if  his  nation  was  for  peace,  the  old  chief  said, 
"  No.  They  are  for  war,  and  if  you  go  any 
further  they  will  take  your  hair!"  To  this 
Hubbard  answered  that  the  Indians  would  be 
beaten  if  they  again  went  to  war  with  the 
white  men.  "  It  is  a  lie,  it  is  a  lie,"  said  the 
chief.  Hubbard  then  finished  him  with  a  blow 
from  his  heavy  rifle.  Meanwhile,  Hubbard's 
companion  had  his  attention  so  fixed  on  the 
combat  with  the  chief  that  he  let  the  other  In 
dian  escape.  Hubbard  highly  censured  him 
for  such  conduct  for  he  knew  the  fleeing  In 
dian  would  soon  break  the  news  of  Butler's 
death,  and  then  the  Indians  would  fall  heavily 
upon  the  settlers  for  revenge. 

On  being  fully  informed  of  the  secession 
movement  at  Watauga,  the  Governor  of  North 
Carolina  issued  a  manifesto  to  the  western 
counties,  urging  the  people  to  return  to  the 
parent  State.  Governor  Sevier  issued  a  coun 
ter  manifesto  to  his  people,  urging  them  to 
stand  their  ground  firmly.  He  endeavored  to 
refute  every  argument  of  Governor  Martin's 
manifesto.  In  November,  1785,  the  consti 
tutional  convention  met  at  Greeneville  as  or 
dered  to  ratify  or  reject  the  constitution  which 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         161 

had  been  submitted  by  Samuel  Houston  at 
Jonesboro  in  November  of  the  previous  year. 
The  Commons  met  in  the  log  court-house ;  the 
Senate,  in  a  room  of  the  town  tavern.  There 
was  bitter  rivalry  between  the  parties  new 
headed  by  Sevier  and  John  Tipton.  Tipton's 
faction  was  in  favor  of  the  constitution  sub 
mitted  by  Houston.  This  constitution  called 
the  new  State  "  The  Commonwealth  of  Frank 
lin,"  and  it  provided  that  no  person  was  eligi 
ble  to  office,  unless  he  believed  in  the  Bible, 
in  the  Trinity,  and  in  heaven  and  hell.  It 
further  provided  that  clergymen,  doctors,  and 
lawyers  should  not  be  allowed  to  hold  office. 
This  strange  constitution  was  rejected,  and, 
on  motion  of  Sevier,  a  constitution  modeled 
after  that  of  North  Carolina  was  adopted. 
The  new  commonwealth  was  called  "  The  State 
of  Franklin,"  in  honor  of  Benjamin  Franklin, 
and  Greeneville  \vas  made  the  capital. 

The  affairs  of  the  new  State  ran  well  for 
more  than  a  year,  but  early  in  1786  Tipton  and 
his  party  boldly  espoused  the  cause  of  North 
Carolina.  They  held  elections  for  represen 
tatives  and  local  officers,  and  reestablished  the 
laws  of  the  mother  State.  Grave  were  the  con 
ditions  that  followed.  Both  parties  held 
courts,  and  each  was  in  turn  broken  up  by 
armed  men  of  the  other  party.  Often  the  men 


1 62         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

fought  each  other  savagely.  On  one  occasion 
Sevier  and  Tipton  themselves  engaged  in  a 
fist  fight,  but  their  friends  interfered  and  pre 
vented  any  serious  injuries.  Matters  grew 
from  bad  to  worse,  and  many  people  were 
getting  tired  of  such  civil  strife.  The  Legis 
lature  of  North  Carolina  took  advantage  of 
the  situation  and  passed  an  act  declaring  that 
the  western  counties  would  at  the  proper  time 
be  erected  into  an  independent  State  if  they 
would  return  to  their  allegiance  and  wait.  A 
free  pardon  was  offered  to  all  who  would  re 
turn.  Many  did  return,  but  the  majority  still 
stood  firm. 

The  neighboring  States  watched  eagerly  the 
steps  taken  by  the  Franks,  most  of  them  hop 
ing  that  their  downfall  might  soon  come,  as 
their  success  might  encourage  similar  revolts 
in  their  own  western  borders.  Benjamin 
Franklin  had  been  informed  of  the  movement, 
and  his  advice  was  asked.  He  expressed  his 
appreciation  of  the  honor  conferred  upon  him 
by  naming  the  new  State  after  him,  but  his  ad 
vice,  like  the  oracles  of  the  Greeks,  was  given 
in  vague  terms.  The  old  philosopher  knew 
very  little  of  the  real  story  of  the  western 
region. 

Learning  of  the  wild  confusion  and  the  fre 
quent  combats  between  the  two  factions  of 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER         163 

Franklin,  Evan  Shelby  attempted  to  restore 
quiet.  Even  his  stern  efforts  brought  no 
change.  He  advised  that  North  Carolina  raise 
one  thousand  militia  to  force  the  Franks  into 
submission,  but  the  Governor  of  North  Caro 
lina  opposed  such  a  rash  plan.  Then  Sevier 
persuaded  the  Governor  of  Georgia  to  appeal 
to  the  sympathies  of  the  Executive  of  North 
Carolina  in  behalf  of  the  Franks,  but  these  ef 
forts  accomplished  nothing.  The  friendly 
spirit  evinced  by  a  manifesto  issued  by  Gov 
ernor  Caswell — successor  of  Martin — caused 
the  people  one  by  one  to  return  to  the  citizen 
ship  of  North  Carolina.  The  Legislature  of 
Franklin  met  for  the  last  time  in  September, 
1787.  Matters  had  reached  such  a  dangerous 
condition  that  the  citizens  of  Franklin  could 
not  hold  an  election.  It  soon  became  evident 
that  nothing  could  be  done  except  by  force  of 
arms,  and  Governor  Sevier  had  not  the  heart 
to  resort  to  arms.  His  term  of  office  expired 
in  March,  1788,  and  with  the  expiration  of  his 
office  the  ill-fated  State  of  Franklin  collapsed. 
The  state  of  affairs  was  a  grievous  one  to 
the  brave  Governor.  At  first  he  had  advised 
the  people  against  the  establishment  of  the 
new  State;  but,  upon  finding  them  determined 
to  revolt,  he  had  cast  his  lot  with  them  and 
determined  to  use  his  utmost  energy  for  main- 


164         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

taining  an  independent  State.  Upon  the  fall 
of  the  little  State  of  Franklin,  he  doubtless  felt 
that  his  dearest  friends  had  forsaken  him,  but 
they  had  not.  The  people  probably  thought 
that,  as  he  had  advised  them  not  to  revolt  in 
the  beginning,  he  would  now  return  to  his  old 
allegiance  to  North  Carolina.  But  they  were 
certainly  in  error  as  to  their  notion  of  what  he 
would  do. 

North  Carolina,  regarding  Governor  Sevier 
as  guilty  of  treason,  issued  a  writ  against  his 
estate  about  the  time  his  term  of  office  expired. 
His  slaves  on  his  farm  at  Nolichucky  were 
seized  by  the  sheriff  and  carried  to  Tipton's 
house  on  Sinking  Creek  for  safe-keeping.  Se 
vier  was  at  this  time  on  the  frontiers  of  Greene 
County  taking  action  for  the  defense  of  the 
inhabitants  against  a  threatened  invasion  of 
the  Indians.  Hearing  of  the  act,  he  at  once 
raised  one  hundred  and  fifty  men,  and  with  his 
characteristic  promptness  marched  to  Tipton's 
house  to  rescue  his  slaves.  It  was  in  the  cold 
winter  days  of  February  when  he  reached  Tip- 
ton's  cluster  of  log  buildings  on  Sinking  Creek. 
A  few  days  before  Tipton  had  sent  a  number 
of  his  men  to  capture  Sevier,  and  he  had  now 
only  time  enough  to  call  in  about  fifteen  men 
to  guard  his  house  and  defend  the  slaves. 

It  was  in  the  afternoon  when  Sevier  halted 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER         165 

in  a  swamp  two  or  three  hundred  yards  from 
the  house.  He  had  brought  a  small  cannon 
with  him  and  this  he  planted  in  front  of  the 
house.  Having  moved  his  force  to  this  small 
battery,  he  sent  in  a  demand  for  surrender. 
Doubtless  preferring  death  to  an  honorable 
surrender  to  Sevier,  Tipton  would  not  yield, 
and  sent  back  the  reply,  "  Fire  and  be 
damned !  "  He  was  so  angry  he  \vould  per 
mit  no  correspondence  with  Sevier. 

The  next  day,  the  weather  being  rather  icy, 
Tipton's  wrath  cooled  down  a  little,  and  he  al 
lowed  one  of  his  own  men,  Colonel  Love,  to 
carry  on  a  paper  war  writh  Sevier.  Love  ad 
dressed  his  letter  to  Colonel  Sevier,  carefully 
ignoring  General  Sevier's  official  title.  In  re 
ply,  General  Sevier  stated  that  Colonel  Sevier 
was  not  in  camp,  meaning  of  course  his  brother 
Valentine,  who  bore  that  title.  Night  com 
ing  on,  the  correspondence  ended.  Sevier's 
men  moved  back  to  their  camp-fires,  and  Tip- 
ton  hurried  out  messengers  for  help.  Next  day 
some  of  Sevier's  men  stationed  themselves 
upon  a  bluff  within  shooting  distance  of  the 
house.  During  the  day  a  few  men  joined 
Tipton.  The  following  night,  Robert  Love, 
with  a  single  companion,  went  to  his  own 
neighborhood  for  help.  On  the  way  he  met 
his  brother  Thomas  and  about  a  dozen  other 


1 66         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

men  on  their  way  to  join  Tipton.  He  warned 
them  of  the  guard  stationed  on  the  bluff  near 
the  road.  Before  it  was  yet  daylight,  Love 
rode  his  horse  ahead  of  his  men,  but  was  not 
hailed.  When  he  reached  the  bluff,  he  found 
it  unguarded.  The  night  was  excessively  cold, 
and  the  guards  had  gone  to  warm  themselves 
a  few  minutes  by  the  camp-fires.  Love  hur 
ried  back  to  his  men  with  the  news  and  then, 
raising  a  whoop  wrhich  rent  the  air,  they  dashed 
with  full  speed  to  Tipton's  house.  Major 
Elholm,  second  in  command  to  General  Se- 
vier,  proposed  the  erection  of  a  light  movable 
battery,  under  cover  of  which  the  soldiers 
could  reach  the  walls  of  the  house.  In  the 
meantime,  some  of  the  soldiers  fired  upon  the 
men  passing  into  and  out  of  the  house,  killing 
one  and  wounding  another.  At  last  the  morn 
ing  of  the  28th  of  February,  1788,  began  to 
dawn.  The  weather  was  cold,  and  the  snow 
fell  thick  and  fast.  Several  men  under  the 
command  of  a  man  named  Maxwell  arrived 
and  marched  cautiously  within  gunshot  of  Se- 
vier's  camp  and  waited  for  daylight. 

Notwithstanding  the  fast  falling  snow  and 
the  cold  gales  which  swept  from  the  north, 
Sevier's  men,  at  the  break  of  day,  filed  out  to 
attack  Tipton's  men.  Maxwell's  troops  fired 
a  volley  and  raised  a  deafening  shout.  The 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         167 

men  in  the  house,  knowing  that  deliverance 
was  at  hand,  sent  up  another  shout  which  filled 
Sevier's  shivering,  half-clad  troops  with  ter 
ror,  and  caused  them  to  flee  pell-mell  into  the 
woods.  The  sheriff  of  Washington  County 
was  mortally  wounded.  The  cannon  of  Se 
vier's  battery  fell  into  the  hands  of  Tipton, 
and  many  of  the  Franks  were  taken  prison 
ers,  among  them  two  of  Sevier's  sons,  James 
and  John.  Tipton  declared  that  he  would 
hang  them  both.  Learning  of  Tipton's  threat, 
the  two  boys  sent  for  Mr.  Thomas  and  others 
with  whom  they  were  on  good  terms,  and 
asked  them  to  appease  the  wrath  of  Tipton 
and  save  their  lives.  These  men  went  at  once 
to  Tipton  and  pleaded  their  cause  well.  They 
pictured  to  him  the  wretchedness  of  his  own 
sons,  whom  he  supposed  to  be  in  the  hands  of 
Sevier  and  about  to  be  hanged  for  deeds  im 
puted  to  himself,  their  father.  With  tears 
streaming  down  his  cheeks,  Tipton  declared 
that  he  was  too  womanish  for  any  manly  of 
fice,  and  refrained  from  carrying  out  his 
threat. 

Maxwell's  men  did  not  pursue  Sevier's  men 
more  than  two  hundred  yards.  It  was  indeed 
a  curious  kind  of  warfare,  not  often  met  with 
in  history,  and  seems  ludicrous  though  it  is 
significant  of  the  conditions  in  those  frontier 


1 68         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

settlements.  The  casualties  were  probably  the 
result  of  accident.  It  was  a  sham  battle  in 
which  Sevier  tried  to  regain  his  slaves  from 
Tipton.  Although  shamefully  mistreated  and 
insulted  by  the  acts  of  Tipton,  Sevier  did  not 
go  there  to  shed  blood.  He  could  easily 
have  taken  Tipton  on  the  day  of  his  arrival, 
and  his  little  battery  could  have  blown  the 
houses  to  pieces.  "  We  did  not  go  there  ta 
fight,"  said  Doctor  Taylor,  who  was  there 
during  the  siege,  "  neither  party  intended  to 
do  that.  Many  on  both  sides  were  unarmed, 
and  some  who  had  guns  did  not  even  load 
them.  Most  of  us  went  to  prevent  mischief, 
and  did  not  intend  to  let  the  neighbors  kill 
one  another.  Our  men  shot  into  the  air,  and 
Sevier's  men  into  the  corner  of  the  house.  As 
to  the  storms  of  snow  keeping  the  men  from 
taking  sure  aim,  it  is  all  a  mistake.  Both  sides 
had  the  best  marksmen  in  the  world,  men  who 
had  often  killed  a  deer,  and  shot  it  in  the  head, 
too,  when  a  heavier  snow  was  falling.  The 
men  did  not  try  to  hit  anybody.  They  could 
easily  have  done  so  if  they  had  been  enemies." 
Forebodings  of  this  curious  battle  might 
have  been  read  in  the  face  of  John  Sevier  as 
he  had  sat  the  previous  night  in  grim  silence 
by  his  camp-fire.  He  had  often  drawn  his 
sword  for  his  country  and  triumphed  over  his 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER         169 

enemy,  but  to  draw  his  sword  against  his  fel 
low-citizens  was  more  than  he  had  a  heart  to 
do.  "  The  men  under  his  command,"  says 
Doctor  Ramsey,  "exhibited  the  same  altered 
behavior.  In  all  their  campaigns,  order  and 
enthusiasm  attended  the  march,  care  and  vigi 
lance  the  bivouac,  the  mirthful  song  and  the 
merry  jests  were  heard  in  every  tent.  On 
these  occasions  it  was  the  custom  of  Sevier  to 
visit  every  mess  and  to  participate  in  their 
hilarity.  He  spoke  of  the  enemies  and  dan 
ger  before,  and  friends  and  homes  behind 
them.  He  was  the  companion  and  friend  and 
idol  of  his  soldiery.  But  now  the  camp  of 
the  Governor  of  Franklin  was  dreary  and 
cheerless.  No  merry  laugh  was  heard — nor 
song — nor  jest.  Little  care  and  less  vigilance 
was  taken  in  placing  out  the  sentinels.  Sevier 
was  silent,  appeared  abstracted,  thoughtful, 
and,  at  this  time  only  in  his  whole  public  life, 
morose  and  ascetic.  Elholm's  vivacity  failed 
to  arouse  him.  He  communicated  little  to  that 
officer;  he  said  nothing  to  his  men.  He  took 
no  precaution,  suggested  no  plan,  either  of  at 
tack  or  defence." 

Had  Tipton  had  the  feeling  of  brotherly 
love  which  throbbed  in  the  sympathetic  heart 
of  John  Sevier,  they  could  have  met  without 
the  flag  of  truce  and  grasped  each  other's 


1 70         THE  LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

hands  in  mutual  friendship,  forgetting  all  the 
struggles  of  the  little  State  of  Franklin.  Tip- 
ton  was  at  first  a  strong  advocate  of  the 
Franklin  movement,  but,  when  he  found  that 
Sevier  was  determined  to  cast  his  life  and  for 
tune  with  the  lot  of  his  friends  and  com 
rades,  he  espoused  the  cause  of  North  Caro 
lina,  and  did  all  in  his  power  to  undermine 
Sevier  and  cause  his  downfall,  for  he  knew 
that  Sevier  was  the  idol  of  the  people. 


CHAPTER   XI 

UNHAPPY  EVENTS  ON  THE  WESTERN   BORDER 

SLOWLY,  listlessly,  and  sadly,  Sevier  and  his 
men  wended  their  way  toward  their  homes  as 
if  they  were  in  a  funeral  procession.  He 
doubtless  felt  that  as  many  of  his  best  friends 
had  turned  their  backs  upon  the  State  of 
Franklin,  they  had  also  lost  their  friendship 
for  him  as  well.  In  this,  however,  he  was  mis 
taken,  as  we  shall  see.  And  then,  too,  he  was 
returning  home  without  his  slaves,  which  cir 
cumstance  bore  heavily  upon  his  melancholy 
feelings.  But  while  he  trudged  along,  nurs 
ing  his  grief,  messengers  from  the  border  set 
tlements  rode  up  and  apprised  him  of  a  re 
cent  uprising  of  the  Indians,  and  urged  him  to 
hurry  to  the  defense  of  the  settlers.  The 
weight  of  despondency  at  once  fell  from  him. 
"  In  a  moment,"  says  Doctor  Ramsey,  "  Sevier 
was  himself  again,  elastic,  brave,  energetic, 
daring,  and  patriotic.  At  the  head  of  a  body 
of  mounted  riflemen  he  was  at  once  upon  the 
frontier  to  guard  and  protect  its  most  defence 
less  points." 

171 


172         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

While  Sevier  was  on  the  border  defending 
the  settlers,  his  enemies  were  accusing  him  of 
deeds  which  he  never  committed,  of  crimes  of 
which  he  never  dreamed,  of  intentions  which 
never  entered  his  mind.  These  misrepresenta 
tions,  so  numerous  and  base,  were  not  long  in 
reaching  Governor  Johnson  of  North  Caro 
lina.  He  wrote  to  General  Martin,  an  enemy 
of  Sevier's  in  the  western  settlements,  these 
words:  "Sevier,  from  the  state  of  his  con 
duct  set  forth  in  your  letter,  appears  to  be  in 
corrigible,  and  I  fear  we  shall  have  no  peace 
in  your  quarter  till  he  is  proceeded  against  to 
the  last  extremity."  Governor  Johnson  was  a 
good  man  and  supposed  the  news  he  was  re 
ceiving  to  be  true. 

But  however  he  might  be  slandered,  Sevier 
was  still  popular  among  the  western  settlers 
and  their  chief  dependence  in  the  hour  of  dan 
ger.  We  see  him  now  on  the  frontier  calling 
out  the  bordermen  and  leading  them  to  battle 
as  one  having  authority.  From  Major  Hous 
ton's  Station,  he  and  James  Hubbard  issued 
this  address  "  to  the  inhabitants  in  general," 
on  July  8th,  1788: 

"  Yesterday  we  crossed  Tennessee  with  a 
small  party  of  men,  and  destroyed  a  town 
called  Toquo.  On  our  return  we  discovered 
large  trails  of  Indians  making  their  way  to- 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER         173 

wards  the  place.  We  are  of  the  opinion  their 
numbers  could  not  be  less  than  five  hundred. 
We  beg  leave  to  recommend  that  every  sta 
tion  be  on  their  guard;  that  also,  every  good 
man  that  can  be  spared  will  voluntarily  turn 
out  and  repair  to  this  place,  with  the  utmost 
expedition,  in  order  to  tarry  for  a  few  days 
in  the  neighborhood  and  repel  the  enemy,  if 
possible.  We  intend  waiting  at  this  place  some 
days  with  the  few  men  now  with  us,  as  we 
can  not  reconcile  it  to  our  own  feelings  to  leave 
a  people  who  appear  to  be  in  such  great  dis 
tress." 

In  the  month  of  May  the  Indians  massacred 
John  Kirk's  family,  which  lived  on  the  south 
west  side  of  Little  River,  twelve  miles  south 
of  Knoxville.  Mr.  Kirk  was  absent  from  his 
home,  and  an  Indian  by  the  name  of  Slim 
Tom,  well  known  to  the  family,  came  into  the 
cabin  and  asked  for  food.  Mrs.  Kirk  thought 
the  Indian  was  still  friendly  and  gave  him  the 
food  and  he  departed.  But  he  had  come  as  a 
spy.  After  a  short  time  he  returned  with  a 
band  of  Indians  who  had  been  hiding  in  the 
woods  and  massacred  the  whole  family,  eleven 
in  all,  leaving  their  mangled  bodies  in  the  yard. 
When  Mr.  Kirk  and  his  eldest  son  returned, 
they  at  once  sounded  the  alarm  in  the  neigh 
borhood  and  the  bordermen  gathered  quickly 


174         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

to  punish  the  Indians.  At  this  time  Joseph 
Martin  was  living  among  the  Cherokees.  He 
did  not  believe  the  Cherokees  were  responsi 
ble  for  all  the  crimes  committed  against  the 
white  men  in  the  lower  settlements.  The 
Creeks  and  the  Chickamaugas  were  generally 
the  ones  that  stirred  up  the  strife;  but  the 
white  men  suspected,  of  course,  that  the  Chero 
kees  were  the  guilty  ones,  as  they  lived  clos 
est  to  the  settlements.  A'  council  was  held, 
and  the  Cherokees  stated  that  the  Creeks  kept 
passing  through  their  country  to  war  on  the 
white  men  and  swore  that  they  were  not  guilty 
of  the  crimes  of  which  they  had  been  accused. 
The  outrages  continued.  While  passing 
down  the  Tennessee,  a  large  boat  containing 
forty  white  men  was  captured  by  the  Chicka 
maugas,  and  all  but  three  of  the  white  men 
were  murdered.  Martin  left  Chota  on  the 
24th  of  May  and  went  to  the  French  Broad 
to  prevent  mischief.  There  he  found  the 
militia  gathered,  with  Sevier  at  their  head, 
ready  to  invade  the  Indian  country.  Seeing 
this  martial  array,  Martin  deemed  it  useless 
to  attempt  further  to  prevent  war.  So  he 
hurried  back  to  Chota  to  look  after  his  slaves 
and  other  property.  Then  Sevier  made  a  dash 
through  the  Indian  country  with  a  hundred 
mounted  men,  destroyed  a  town  on  the  Hia- 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER         175 

wassee,  and  killed  many  of  the  Indians.  His 
swift  dashes  carried  the  same  work  of  destruc 
tion  to  a  few  other  towns. 

But  on  one  occasion  the  record  of  his  brave 
riflemen  was  stained  with  crime.  Abraham, 
a  friendly  Indian,  and  his  son,  remained  in 
their  cabin  on  the  north  bank  of  the  Tennes 
see  and  openly  declared  that  they  would  not 
go  to  war  against  the  white  men.  When  the 
troops  came  to  the  south  bank,  Hubbard  sent 
for  Abraham  to  come  over  the  river  to  the 
troops.  After  he  had  crossed  over,  Hubbard 
sent  him  back  after  Corn  Tassel,  and  others, 
stating  that  the  white  men  wished  to  talk  with 
them.  Flags  were  held  out  to  lure  the  In 
dians  across.  But,  as  soon  as  the  Indians  were 
crossed  over,  they  were  thrust  into  a  house; 
and,  during  Sevier's  absence,  young  Kirk,  son 
of  John  Kirk,  whose  family  had  been  mur 
dered  by  Slim  Tom,  entered  the  cabin  and 
slew  all  the  Indians  with  his  tomahawk.  When 
Sevier  returned,  he  was  enraged  at  this  breach 
of  faith  and  rebuked  young  Kirk  severely. 
Kirk  retorted  that  Sevier  himself  would  have 
done  the  same  if  his  family  had  been  mur 
dered  by  the  Indians.  With  no  power  as  an 
officer,  except  to  lead  to  battle,  Sevier  was  un 
able  to  punish  the  boy.  Most  of  the  better 
class  of  the  bordermen  disapproved  of  this 


176         THE  LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

deed  of  Kirk,  and  some  went  so  far  as  to  for 
sake  Sevier  temporarily.  The  terror  arising 
from  Chucky  Jack's  raids  and  the  news  of  the 
murder  of  the  chiefs  on  the  Tennessee,  created 
such  a  panic  among  the  Indians  that  many  of 
them  fled  across  the  mountains  to  North  Caro 
lina  for  food  and  protection.  Some  also 
joined  the  Chickamaugas.  As  soon  as  a  much 
exaggerated  report  of  the  raid  reached  the 
Governor  of  North  Carolina,  he  ordered  Judge 
Campbell  to  issue  a  warrant  for  the  arrest  of 
Sevier,  but,  being  a  true  friend  of  Sevier's, 
Campbell  refused  to  issue  the  warrant. 

The  Indians,  especially  the  Chickamaugas 
and  a  few  Cherokees,  became  desperately  furi 
ous  in  their  rage  after  the  murder  of  their 
chiefs,  and  fell  upon  the  frontier  cabins.  The 
people  ran  into  the  forts  and  relied  upon  Se 
vier  to  protect  their  lives  and  their  homes. 
Martin  had  succeeded  Shelby  as  commander 
of  the  militia  and  was  the  officer  directed  by 
North  Carolina  to  put  down  the  Indian  up 
risings.  But  he  was  better  with  the  use  of  his 
tongue  than  with  his  sword,  and  tried  to  keep 
the  Indians  quiet  by  talks.  However,  on  one 
occasion,  he  led  a  body  of  militia  into  the 
Chickamauga  country,  near  Chattanooga, 
burning  a  town  or  two,  but  he  was  worsted  in 
a  fight  on  Lookout  Mountain.  When  he  de- 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         177 

parted  from  the  region,  he  was  followed  and 
harassed  for  a  great  distance  by  the  bold 
Chickamaugas.  Sevier  was  the  only  leader  in 
the  Southwest  who  could  successfully  wage 
war  against  these  brutal  savages.  The  other 
officers  were  slow  and  depended  too  much  upon 
large  forces.  The  Indians  could  commit  their 
murders  and  be  in  their  hiding  places  before 
their  cumbrous  armies  could  strike  a  blow. 
With  a  hundred  or  two  of  his  riflemen,  Sevier 
could  dash  through  the  forests  with  lightning 
speed  and  strike  the  savages  with  such  force 
that  they  would  flee  in  wild  confusion  in  every 
direction. 

After  quelling  the  Indians,  Sevier  decided 
to  return  to  his  home.  He  had  a  true  forgiv 
ing  spirit  and  surely  fancied  he  would  be  for 
given  by  a  people  he  had  so  often  saved  from 
ruin.  But  it  was  not  so.  Judge  Spencer,  one 
of  North  Carolina's  principal  judges,  who  had 
recently  held  court  at  Jonesboro,  had  already 
ordered  his  arrest  for  high  treason.  Sevier 
appeared  freely  in  all  public  places.  With  a 
few  friends  he  entered  Jonesboro.  Here  he 
found  that  Martin  had  been  holding  a  coun 
cil  with  his  militia  officers,  and  that  Tipton 
was  there.  The  council  was  just  breaking  up 
as  Sevier  arrived.  During  the  day  he  had  an 
altercation  with  one  Caldwell.  After  leaving 


178         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

the  town,  Sevier  was  followed  by  Caldwell, 
Tipton,  and  eight  or  ten  others  of  like  char 
acter.  They  went  to  the  house  where  Colonel 
Love  lodged  and  got  him  to  go  with  them  to 
Colonel  Robertson's.  Here  Tipton  had  a  close 
search  made,  as  he  expected  to  find  Sevier 
concealed  somewhere  about  the  place.  The 
night  was  far  spent;  and,  failing  to  find  the 
object  of  their  search,  they  hurriedly  set  out 
to  Widow  Brown's  home,  reaching  her  house 
about  sunrise.  Mrs.  Brown  had  just  risen 
when  Tipton  and  his  men  galloped  up  to  her 
door.  She  knew  Tipton  well  and  doubtless  an 
ticipated  the  object  of  his  visit,  for  she  sat 
down  in  the  door-way  to  prevent  his  entering 
the  house.  The  bustle  between  her  and  Tip- 
ton  awoke  Sevier,  who  slept  near  one  end  of 
the  house.  He  sprang  from  his  bed  and  looked 
through  a  key-hole  in  the  door  to  see  what  the 
trouble  was  about.  At  a  glance  he  understood 
it  all.  Seeing  Colonel  Love,  he  opened  the 
door  and  held  out  his  hand,  saying,  "  I  sur 
render  to  you,"  and  Colonel  Love  led  him  to 
the  place  where  Tipton  was  contending  with 
Mrs.  Brown  for  entrance  into  her  house. 

On  seeing  Sevier,  Tipton  swore  that  he 
would  hang  him.  Sevier  was  really  afraid 
that  he  would  be  shot  on  the  spot  by  the  mad 
dened  demagogue  who  held  a  pistol  in  his 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         179 

hand.  But  he  finally  calmed  down  and  ordered 
Sevier  to  get  his  horse,  for  he  was  eager  to 
be  off  with  his  prisoner  to  Jonesboro.  At  Se 
vier  s  request  Colonel  Love  accompanied  him 
to  Jonesboro.  On  the  way  he  requested  the 
Colonel  to  use  his  influence  to  have  him  im 
prisoned  at  Jonesboro,  instead  of  being  sent 
so  far  across  the  mountains.  Love  did  not  ap 
prove  of  this.  "  Tipton,"  said  he,  "  will  place 
a  strong  guard  around  you  there ;  your  friends 
will  attempt  a  rescue,  and  bloodshed  will  be 
the  result."  Sevier  assured  Love  that  he 
would  dissuade  his  friends  from  rash  meas 
ures.  It  was  a  bitter  trial  to  Sevier  to  be 
taken  from  his  family  and  friends,  without  a 
just  cause;  but,  under  the  circumstances,  it 
was  impossible  to  prevail  upon  his  captors  to 
yield  to  his  request. 

When  they  reached  Jonesboro,  Tipton  or 
dered  hand-cuffs  to  be  put  on  Sevier.  This 
being  done,  he  went  a  short  distance  with  his 
prisoner  and  then  left  him  in  the  custody  of 
the  deputy  sheriff  and  two  other  men,  George 
French  and  Gorley,  with  orders  to  carry  him 
to  Morganton  or  lower  down,  if  necessary,  and 
put  him  in  jail. 

Colonel  Love  traveled  with  Sevier  till  late 
in  the  afternoon,  then  returned  home.  Before 
his  departure,  Sevier  requested  him  to  send 


i8o         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

word  of  his  capture  and  imprisonment  to 
"Bonny  Kate,"  and  to  tell  her  to  send  him 
some  money  and  clothes.  There  is  a  tradi 
tion  that  George  French  had  orders  from  Tip- 
ton  to  kill  Sevier  and  that,  while  on  Iron 
Mountain,  on  their  way  to  North  Carolina, 
Gorley  revealed  the  f)lot.  On  learning  the  in 
tentions  of  his  captors,  Sevier  attempted  to 
escape,  but  during  the  flight  his  horse  got 
entangled  in  some  trees  and  brush  thrown 
down  by  a  recent  storm  and  could  get  no  far 
ther.  French  pursued  and  fired  his  pistol  in 
Sevier's  face,  doing  no  harm,  however,  except 
to  burn  his  face  with  the  powder.  It  appears 
that  the  ball  had  dropped  out  of  the  pistol  in 
the  pursuit. 

The  officers  moved  down  the  mountain  and 
in  due  time  reached  Morganton,  where  they 
delivered  their  prisoner  to  William  Morrison, 
the  sheriff  of  Burke  County.  Here  Sevier 
was  met  by  twro  of  his  old  friends,  Generals 
Charles  and  Joseph  McDowell,  who  became 
his  bondsmen  for  his  appearance  at  court,  and 
he  visited  his  brother-in-law,  several  miles 
from  town.  He  made  his  visit  and  returned 
to  the  sheriff  at  Morganton  on  the  second 
day  after  leaving.  Sheriff  Morrison  had  had 
the  good  fortune  to  share  in  the  honors  of 
King's  Mountain,  and  of  course  was  as  lenient 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         181 

towards  Sevier  as  he  could  be,  consistent  with 
his  duty. 

The  news  of  the  capture  and  supposed  im 
prisonment  of  Sevier  had  by  this  time  spread 
among  the  western  settlements,  and  the  people 
there  were  excited  and  angry.  They  were  fully 
determined  to  rescue  him.  They  could  see  the 
State  of  Franklin  fall,  but  they  could  not  stand 
in  silence  and  see  such  men  as  Tipton  take 
their  friend  and  imprison  him  on  false 
charges. 

The  story  of  the  rescue  of  Sevier  has  been 
told  in  different  ways,  colored  more  or  less  by 
tradition.  One  of  them  runs  that  he  was  res 
cued  during  his  trial  in  court  by  his  friends 
and  sons  who  had  brought  his  favorite  race 
horse.  When  he  understood  the  plot,  he  es 
caped  from  court,  mounted  his  horse,  and  was 
soon  out  of  reach  of  danger.  This  tale,  how 
ever,  is  only  romance,  for  there  was  no  court 
in  Morganton  at  this  time.  Sevier's  son  John 
was  with  the  crowd  that  went  to  Morganton 
to  secure  his  father's  release,  and  has  left  a 
statement  of  the  circumstances  under  which 
he  made  his  escape,  which  is  here  printed  for 
the  first  time : 

"  Immediately  after  the  fall  campaign  of 
1788,  Colonel  Sevier  was  arrested  and  taken 
to  North  Carolina.  Gourley  and  French 


1 82         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

guarded  him,  and  French  shot  at  him.  When 
they  delivered  their  prisoner  to  the  jailer  at 
Morganton,  who  had  fought  at  King's  Moun 
tain,  he  knocked  off  the  irons  from  his  hands 
and  told  him  to  go  where  he  pleased,  not,  how 
ever,  to  leave  the  place.  Joseph  Sevier,  the 
Colonel's  brother,  John  Sevier,  Jr.,  (the  in 
formant),  George  North,  Doctor  James  Cozby, 
Jesse  Green,  and  William  Matlock  went  after 
the  Colonel ;  when  within  a  few  miles  of  Mor 
ganton,  they  stopped  one  night  with  Uriah 
Sherrill,  brother-in-law  to  Colonel  Sevier. 
from  whom  they  learned  that  the  Colonel  was 
not  confined  and  \vas  treated  with  great  len 
ity.  Next  morning  they  rode  into  town  all  to 
gether,  no  court  sitting,  the  sheriff  absent,  went 
to  a  tavern,  there  found  Colonel  Sevier  in 
company  writh  Major  Joseph  McDowell;  told 
him  frankly  they  had  come  for  him  and  that 
he  must  go.  After  tarrying  an  hour  or  two, 
without  any  fear  from  the  jailer  or  any  one 
else,  Colonel  Sevier  ordered  his  horse  and  all 
started  off  before  noon,  in  the  most  open  and 
public  manner,  and  returned  home.  They  did 
not  know  but  the  sheriff  might  possibly  fol 
low  them,  when  he  heard  of  Colonel  Sevier's 
return  home,  but  he  did  not." 

The    backwoodsmen    were    much    rejoiced 
1  Draper    MSS. 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         183 

over  Sevier's  return,  and  Tipton,  aware  of  the 
hostile  feeling  along  the  frontier  over  his  act, 
never  again  attempted  to  have  him  put  in 
irons. 

It  may  be  remarked  here  that  Andrew  Jack 
son,2  then  a  young  lawyer  about  twenty-one 
years  old,  who  had  crossed  the  mountains 
riding  his  race-horse,  a  pair  of  holsters  buckled 
across  the  front  of  his  saddle,  leading  another 
horse  on  whose  back  was  a  shot-gun  and  a 
well  filled  pair  of  saddle-bags,  and  followed 
by  a  large  pack  of  hounds,  was  at  Jonesboro, 
just  beginning  his  career.  If  he  took  any  part 
either  for  or  against  Sevier,  no  mention  is 
made  of  it  in  any  of  the  records. 

Sevier  was  still  technically  an  outlaw,  but 
he  was  held  in  the  highest  esteem  by  all  his 
neighbors,  and,  at  the  very  first  election,  he 
was  chosen  to  represent  his  district  in  the  State 
Senate  of  North  Carolina.  No  man  dared  to 
arrest  him  again  for  high  treason,  because  all 
feared  the  vengeance  of  the  backwoodsmen. 
In  November,  1789,  he  went  to  Fayetteville, 
then  the  State  capital,  to  take  his  seat.  At 
first  he  was  not  allowed  to  take  it,  because  the 
act  offering  pardon  and  oblivion  to  the  Franks 
who  returned  as  citizens  of  North  Carolina  ex 
pressly  stated  that  it  "  should  not  entitle  John 

2  Allison's  "  Dropped  Stitches  in  Tennessee  History." 


1 84         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

Sevier  to  the  enjoyment  of  any  office  of  profit, 
of  honor  or  trust,  in  the  State  of  North  Caro 
lina."  When  Mr.  Amy,  from  Hawkins 
County,  introduced  a  resolution  to  withdraw 
the  charges  against  Sevier,  and  to  restore  him 
to  the  full  rights  of  citizenship,  Tipton,  who 
was  also  a  member  of  the  Legislature,  opposed 
it  so  strongly  that  a  personal  encounter  with 
Mr.  Amy  would  have  resulted  had  it  not  been 
for  the  intervention  of  friends. 

Colonel  Roddy,  from  Greene  County,  cen 
sured  Mr.  Amy  for  using  words  so  sarcastic 
as  to  offend  Mr.  Tipton,  stating  that  he 
should  be  cautious  to  use  such  language  as 
would  "  soothe  his  feelings."  It  was  sug 
gested,  and  finally  agreed,  that  Colonel  Roddy 
continue  the  discussion  the  next  day.  But, 
as  the  story  goes,  the  Colonel  had  not  been 
upon  the  floor  long  till  he  had  infuriated  Tip- 
ton,  who  instantly  sprang  from  his  seat  and 
seized  him  by  the  throat.  Being  amused  at 
the  turn  of  affairs,  Amy  chuckled  out, 
"  Soothe  him,  Colonel — soothe  him !  "  We  can 
only  suppose  that  the  Colonel  did  soothe  him, 
for  the  resolution  was  passed  and  Mr.  Sevier 
took  his  seat  in  the  Senate  of  North  Carolina. 
From  this  time  on,  Tipton's  name  seems  to 
become  less  and  less  important,  but  that  of 
"Nolichucky  Jack"  rises  higher  and  higher. 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER         185 

As  soon  as  North  Carolina  ratified  the  Federal 
Constitution,  in  1789,  Sevier  was  elected  to 
the  Federal  Congress  without  opposition  and 
took  his  seat  in  the  following  June,  as  the  first 
representative  in  the  National  Congress  from 
the  Mississippi  Valley.  While  in  Congress  he 
was  a  modest  but  faithful  member  and  served 
the  best  interests  of  his  people  and  his  country 
in  whatever  capacities  he  chanced  to  be  placed. 


CHAPTER   XII 

THE  TERRITORY   SOUTH    OF   THE   OHIO   RIVER 

THE  citizens  of  the  State  of  Franklin  were 
in  no  better  condition  when  they  came  out  of 
the  trouble  occasioned  by  their  secession  from 
North  Carolina  than  when  they  went  into 
it.  The  people  living  south  of  the  French 
Broad  and  the  Holston  were  left  exposed  to 
the  Indians.  During  the  existence  of  the  State 
of  Franklin,  they  had  lived  in  an  organized 
county,  but  now  North  Carolina  refused  to 
recognize  them,  claiming  that  they  were  in 
truders  upon  Indian  lands.  They  were  trou 
bled,  furthermore,  by  lawless  men  who  were 
lurking  about  in  the  settlements  and  com 
mitting  frequent  outrages.  Fortunately  the 
Indians  were  at  peace  in  their  wigwams  since 
Nolichucky  Jack  had  humbled  their  passion 
for  war.  The  exposed  and  neglected  people 
appealed  to  General  Sevier  for  help,  which 
he  promptly  and  cheerfully  gave.  By  his  help 
they  were  organized  into  an  association  for 
protection,  and  order  was  restored.  The  peo- 
186 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         187 

pie  in  this  little  republic,  which  we  will  desig 
nate  as  the  Settlement  South  of  the  Holston 
and  the  French  Broad,  signed  the  Articles 
of  Association  under  which  they  continued  to 
live  till  February  25th,  1/90,  when  North 
Carolina  again  ceded  to  Congress  all  her  terri 
tory  west  of  the  Alleghanies.  The  gift  wras 
accepted  this  time  on  April  2,  and,  by  Au 
gust  7,  the  land  ceded  was  formed,  with  all 
other  lands  south  of  the  Ohio  River,  into  the 
"Territory  Southwest  of  the  River  Ohio." 

President  Washington  nominated  Honor 
able  William  Blount  as  Governor  of  the  Ter 
ritory,  and  the  choice  was  a  wise  one.  Mr. 
Blount  was  a  gentleman  of  Cavalier  ancestry, 
descended  from  a  Royalist  baronet,  a  man  of 
handsome  presence,  manly  bearing,  courtly 
manners,  eloquent  address, — indeed,  a  man  of 
rich  culture  and  commanding  influence.  He 
was  well  known  to  Washington  and  was  doubt 
less  appointed  to  the  new  position  on  account 
of  their  friendly  relations.  As  soon  as  Gov 
ernor  Blount  arrived  to  fill  his  new  position, 
he  made  his  residence  at  the  home  of  William 
Cobb,  a  wealthy  farmer  who  had  emigrated 
from  North  Carolina.  Mr.  Cobb's  backwoods 
mansion  was  plain,  but  well  supplied  with  such 
furnishings  as  were  common  to  the  wealthy 
pioneer  homes.  He  kept  his  horses,  dogs,  and 


1 88         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

rifles  available  for  the  use  of  his  visitors.  He 
was  himself  rather  courtly,  in  his  rough  way, 
and  his  entertainment  was  just  such  as  suited 
the  taste  of  Governor  Blount. 

David  Campbell  and  Joseph  Anderson  were 
appointed  judges  for  the  Territory.  Wash 
ington  gave  to  John  Sevier  and  James  Robert 
son  each  the  rank  of  brigadier-general.  Se 
vier  was  to  command  the  militia  of  Washing 
ton  District,  and  Robertson,  that  of  Miro  Dis 
trict.  All  the  powers  of  government  were 
thus  held  and  administered  by  five  officers,  but 
provision  was  made  for  a  Legislative  Coun 
cil  and  a  House  of  Representatives  when  the 
number  of  adult  free  men  should  reach  five 
thousand.  Provision  had  also  been  made  to 
admit  the  Territory  into  the  Union  as  a  State 
when  the  census  showed  a  total  population  of 
sixty  thousand  white  inhabitants. 

Governor  Blount  entered  at  once  upon  the 
active  discharge  of  his  duties.  After  appoint 
ing  the  officers  for  Washington  District,  he 
went  to  the  Cumberland  Settlement  and  ap 
pointed  the  officers  for  Miro  District.  Ev 
erywhere  he  won  the  esteem  and  confidence  of 
the  people  by  his  honesty  of  purpose  and 
courteous  manners. 

At  New  York,  Washington  had  made  a 
treaty  with  the  Creek  Nation,  the  famous 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER         189 

chief,  McGillivray,  being  the  most  prominent 
Indian  present.  In  order  to  dispel  the  clouds 
of  war  which  continually  hung  over  the  set 
tlers  south  of  the  Holston  and  the  French 
Broad,  it  was  necessary  to  obtain  from  the  In 
dians  all  the  lands  upon  which  the  wrhite  men 
had  settled.  Governor  Blount  sent  a  messen 
ger  to  Echota  inviting  the  Cherokees  to  a  coun 
cil  to  be  held  in  the  month  of  May  at  White's 
Fort  on  the  Holston  River. 

White's  Fort  was  on  the  spot  where  the 
beautiful  city  of  Knoxville  now  stands.  The 
place  was  first  visited  in  the  summer  of  1787 
by  two  soldiers  of  the  Revolution,  James  Con 
nor  and  James  White,  from  Iredell  County, 
North  Carolina.  These  old  soldiers  held  land- 
warrants  as  pay  for  their  services  in  the  Revo 
lution  and  were  exploring  to  find  a  place  suita 
ble  for  their  future  homes.  The  fertile  soil, 
the  noble  hills,  the  good  supply  of  water,  the 
stately  trees  of  the  ancient  forest,  at  once  led 
these  old  heroes  to  build  White's  Fort,  clear 
the  forest  for  cornfields,  and  return  for  their 
families  and  friends.  This  furnished  the  nu 
cleus  of  an  important  settlement  which  grew, 
in  time,  to  be  a  handsome  city.  When  the 
month  of  May  came,  the  Indians  failed  to 
meet  Governor  Blount  in  council.  Some  men 
had  spread  the  rumor  among  them  that  the 


190         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

Governor  intended  to  draw  them  into  a  treaty 
and  award  them  the  same  fate  that  had  be 
fallen  Old  Tassel.  To  convince  the  Indians 
of  the  falsity  of  this  rumor,  Robertson  rode 
from  Nashville  to  Echota  to  talk  with  them. 
They  still  had  the  utmost  confidence  in  Rob 
ertson  and,  after  hearing  his  talk,  decided  to 
attend  the  council  at  a  later  date. 

It  was,  consequently,  late  in  June  when  the 
Cherokees  assembled  at  White's  Fort  for  the 
council.  The  weather  was  fair,  and  fully 
twelve  hundred  Indians  came  with  the  chiefs. 
Even  several  squaws,  with  their  papooses,  were 
there.  The  treaty-ground  was  at  the  foot  of 
what  is  now  Water  Street,  Knoxville,  under 
the  tall  trees  shading  the  banks  of  the  Holston. 
Here,  tradition  tells  us,  the  Governor,  in  full 
military  dress,  with  his  three-cornered  hat  and 
gold-mounted  sword,  met  the  Indians  and  was 
introduced  to  the  chiefs.  Many  white  people 
\vere  gathered  in  groups  on  the  ground  to  be 
hold  the  council.  None  came  armed.  The 
white  men  gave  way  to  the  custom  of  the  In 
dian  council  house.  The  Indians  sat  upon  the 
ground  in  a  circle  around  the  speaker,  listen 
ing  in  silence  with  fixed  attention  to  what  was 
said.  The  warriors  were  decorated  with 
eagles'  feathers.  Governor  Blount  sat  near  his 
tent,  and  his  civil  and  military  officers  stood 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         191 

near  him  with  their  hats  off  in  token  of  re 
spect  to  the  Governor  and  the  chiefs  and  war 
riors.  In  the  midst  of  the  officials  stood  a 
gallant  hero  whom  every  Indian  there  loved 
and  feared.  This  hero  was  the  famous  Noli- 
chucky  Jack.  They  gazed  with  interest  upon 
this  man,  who  had  so  often  scattered  their 
savage  forces  to  the  winds  by  his  lightning 
dashes,  and  they  must  have  been  surprised  to 
see  so  great  a  soldier  now  with  such  a  quiet, 
modest  bearing. 

On  July  2nd,  a  treaty  was  signed  and  the 
pipe  of  peace  was  smoked.  By  this  treaty  the 
\vhite  people  got  from  the  Indians  the  lands 
upon  which  the  settlements  had  been  made. 
The  white  men  then  returned  to  their  planta 
tions  to  engage  in  the  various  pursuits  of  farm 
life;  the  Indians,  to  their  wigwams  to  brood 
over  what  had  been  done.  In  this  treaty  the 
Indians  acknowledged  themselves  under  the 
sole  protection  of  the  United  States  and  agreed 
to  a  perpetual  friendship  with  its  citizens.  All 
prisoners  were  to  be  exchanged.  The  citizens 
of  the  United  States  were  to  have  free  naviga 
tion  of  the  Tennessee  River  and  the  undis 
turbed  use  of  a  road  from  Washington  County 
to  Miro  District.  For  the  lands  secured,  the 
Indians  were  given  presents  and  valuable  goods 
and  an  annuity  of  one  thousand  dollars.  Af- 


192         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

terwards  five  hundred  dollars  more  were  added 
to  the  annuity. 

"Soon  after  the  treaty,  White's  Fort  settle 
ment  grew  larger.  Many  of  the  people  who 
had  attended  the  treaty  were  impressed  with 
the  fertile  soil  and  the  favorable  location  of 
the  growing  settlement,  and  moved  their  fam 
ilies  there.  The  population  increased  so  rapidly 
that  a  large  settlement  was  formed  along  the 
banks  of  the  Holston,  and  Governor  Blount 
established  the  capital  of  the  Territory  there. 
James  White,  the  venerable  proprietor,  laid 
out  a  town  and  called  it  Knoxville  in  honor  of 
General  Knox,  who  was  then  Secretary  of 
War.  A  court-house  and  a  jail  were  built  of 
heavy  hewn  logs. 

Negotiation  with  Spain  for  the  free  naviga 
tion  of  the  Mississippi  was  still  pending,  and 
the  United  States  desired  to  maintain  friendly 
relations  with  the  Spaniards,  who  had  worked 
themselves  into  the  good  graces  of  most  of  the 
Creeks  and  Cherokees.  The  Spaniards  traded 
with  the  Indians  freely  and  told  them  that  the 
king  of  Spain  would  protect  them  against  the 
encroachments  of  the  Americans  on  their  hunt 
ing-grounds.  They  thus  made  a  cat's  paw  of 
the  Indians,  working  out  their  own  selfish 
policy  in  trying  to  force  the  western  people 
to  secede  from  the  United  States,  in  order  that 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER         193 

they  might  get  for  Spain  all  the  rich  land 
within  the  present  limits  of  Tennessee.  The 
officers  of  the  Territory  treated  the  Spaniards 
with  courtesy,  and  were  commanded  to  act  only 
on  the  defensive  against  the  Indians.  This 
policy  seemed  good  and  wise,  as  one  rash  act 
might  cause  the  balance  of  friendship  to  trem 
ble.  But  the  Spanish  traders  and  agents  in 
the  Indian  towns  soon  caused  the  faithless 
warriors  to  forget  the  pledges  made  at  White's 
Fort.  Hostilities  broke  out  on  the  frontiers, 
and  the  settlers  were  again  threatened  with 
depredations  from  the  Indians.  Sevier  could 
not  use  his  former  tactics  against  the  foe,  for 
he  had  to  act  strictly  on  the  defensive.  He 
built  a  chain  of  blockhouses  along  the  frontier 
and  moved  his  family  to  his  own  station,  which 
was  about  five  miles  south  of  Knoxville.  His 
log  residence  was  large  and  comfortable  and 
strongly  built  to  resist  the  attacks  of  the  In 
dians.  For  nearly  three  years  of  Blount's  ad 
ministration  Sevier  was  kept  busy  ranging  the 
woods  in  search  of  the  Indian  depredators  or 
marching  into  their  country  burning  their  vil 
lages  and  destroying  their  crops.  He  did  not 
adhere  solely  to  defensive  tactics;  indeed  he 
could  not,  as  we  shall  soon  discover. 

After  Sevier  had  moved  to  his  new  home, 
Governor  Blount  moved  with  his   family  to 


194         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

Knoxville,  the  new  capital.  At  first  he  lived 
in  a  plain  log-house,  but  later  built  a  large 
frame  house  on  the  slope  between  the  fort  and 
the  river.  The  new  mansion  was  surrounded 
by  a  large  yard  which  Lady  Blount  kept  well 
adorned  with  rare  flowers.  The  Governor 
was  ever  ready  to  entertain  strangers  as  well 
as  friends,  giving  a  cordial  welcome  to  the 
rich  and  poor  alike. 

In  1792  Governor  Blount  met  the  Indians 
in  council  at  Coyatee.  When  he  and  his  es 
cort  arrived  they  saw  the  American  flag  wav 
ing  in  the  air  and  two  thousand  Indians  drawn 
up  in  two  columns  ready  to  receive  them.  The 
Indians  fired  several  salutes.  They  were  re 
joiced  because  the  Governor  had  come  to  dis 
tribute  their  goods  and  pay  their  annuity.  The 
Governor,  after  the  distribution  of  the  goods, 
took  advantage  of  the  occasion  to  remind  the 
chiefs  of  their  frequent  violations  of  their 
treaty.  John  Watts,  Hanging  Maw,  and  the 
Breath  of  Nickajack  assured  the  Governor  that 
their  people  were  for  peace.  Under  a  strong 
guard,  Blount  then  went  to  Nashville  and 
made  a  treaty  with  the  Chickasaws  and  Choc- 
taws,  distributing  among  them  their  goods  and 
receiving  assurance  of  renewed  friendship. 

But  the  Indians,  unchecked  by  their  chiefs, 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         195 

were  upon  the  warpath  day  and  night.  They 
soon  learned  the  tactics  the  officers  were  or 
dered  to  follow  and  became  very  bold  in  their 
attacks.  They  fell  upon  the  settlers  with 
shocking  barbarity,  then  hurried  beyond  the 
frontiers  without  fear  of  being  pursued  and 
punished  for  their  crimes.  No  man  under 
stood  the  Indian's  character  better  than  Noli- 
chucky  Jack,  who  was  thoroughly  convinced 
that  the  final  peace  with  the  dusky  fellows 
must  be  achieved  by  fire  and  sword,  and  that 
it  would  take  battle  after  battle  and  expedi 
tion  after  expedition  to  subdue  their  passion 
for  warring  against  the  citizens  of  the  Terri 
tory.  After  the  Indians  had  stormed  and  de 
stroyed  Fort  Gillespie,  it  was  impossible  to 
repress  the  citizens  of  the  Territory  any  longer. 
Rumors  were  in  air  that  a  large  force  of  In 
dians  intended  to  strike  a  heavy  blow  at  the 
people  all  along  the  frontier,  and  that  they 
were  already  on  the  war-path.  It  was  thought 
that  they  intended  to  fall  upon  Knoxville  es 
pecially  and  to  seize  the  arms  and  ammunition 
which  they  knew  to  be  stored  there. 

Captain  Harrison's  light-horse  had  scouted 
through  the  country  in  every  direction,  but  had 
seen  no  sign  of  the  Indians.  But  that  very 
day  the  chiefs,  John  Watts  and  Double  Head, 


196         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

led  a  band  of  a  thousand  warriors  across  the 
Tennessee  below  the  mouth  of  the  Holston 
and  marched  all  night  in  the  direction  of 
Knoxville.  Seven  hundred  Creeks  were  in 
the  band,  and  one  hundred  of  their  number 
were  mounted  on  fleet  horses.  They  intended 
to  reach  Knoxville  by  daylight,  but  were  de 
layed  in  crossing  the  river  and  by  the  bitter 
rivalry  between  the  two  chiefs,  Double  Head 
and  Van,  each  of  whom  aspired  to  be  the 
leader  of  the  invasion.  The  chiefs  were  un 
able  to  decide  whether  they  should  massacre 
all  the  inhabitants  in  Knoxville,  or  the  men 
only.  Van  desired  to  spare  the  women  and 
children,  but  Double  Head  wished  to  put  all 
alike  to  the  tomahawk  and  scalping-knife.  In 
their  haste  to  reach  Knoxville,  the  Indians 
passed  Campbell's  Station  (in  which  were 
twenty  families)  undisturbed.  Onward  they 
rushed,  but  as  they  rode  out  of  a  valley  to  the 
top  of  a  hill,  just  at  sunrise,  they  heard  the 
roar  of  a  cannon.  It  was  the  sunrise  gun  of 
the  United  States  troops  stationed  at  Knox 
ville.  This  caused  the  Indians  to  believe  their 
attack  was  expected  and  threw  them  into  con 
fusion  and  caused  them  to  give  up  their  plan. 
Near  them  and  in  sight  was  Cavet's  Station 
in  which  were  only  three  armed  men  and  Mr. 
Cavet's  family.  Mortified  over  the  failure  of 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         197 

their  plans,  the  Indians  attacked  this  station. 
The  armed  men  returned  the  fire  and  held  the 
warriors  at  bay  for  a  while.  A  half-breed 
Creek  who  spoke  English  was  sent  to  Cavet's 
Station  to  tell  the  men  that  if  they  would  sur 
render  they  would  be  spared  and  exchanged 
for  Indian  prisoners.  They  yielded,  but  had 
scarcely  left  their  door  when  Double  Head 
and  his  party  fell  upon  them  and  murdered 
them  all,  save  one  whose  life  was  spared  by 
Watts.  Cavet  was  afterwards  found  dead  in 
his  garden  with  seven  bullets  in  his  mouth. 
He  had  put  the  bullets  there  so  that  he  could 
reload  his  rifle  quickly. 

News  of  the  disaster  at  Cavet's  Station  was 
not  long  in  finding  its  way  to  Knoxville.  Here 
the  fighting  force  was  only  forty  armed  men. 
They  believed  the  Indians  were  then  march 
ing  to  attack  their  fort  and  resolved  to  de 
fend  themselves  or  die  in  the  attempt.  Leav 
ing  two  of  the  oldest  men  to  mould  bullets 
and  look  to  the  loading  of  the  guns  in  the  fort, 
the  remainder  of  the  men  marched  out  to  a 
ridge  a  little  more  than  a  mile  from  Knoxville 
and  stationed  themselves  about  twenty  yards 
apart  on  the  side  next  to  town.  On  the  ap 
proach  of  the  Indians,  each  man  was  to  fire 
with  sure  aim  and  then  retreat  to  the  fort  and 
make  a  final  desperate  stand.  But  the  Indians 


198         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

never  came,  and  the  men  returned  quietly  to 
their  stronghold. 

Upon  receiving  news  of  the  disaster  at 
Cavet's  Station,  General  Sevier,  at  Ish's  Sta 
tion,  hurried  out  reinforcements.  In  the  mean 
time,  not  knowing  where  the  Indians  would 
make  the  next  attack,  he  sent  Captain  Harri 
son  across  the  Holston  with  his  light-horse  to 
discover  their  movements.  The  Captain  went 
to  the  smoldering  heap  at  Cavet's  Station  and, 
following  the  trail  of  the  warriors  for  some 
distance,  soon  found  that  they  had  gone  south. 

In  the  absence  of  Blount,  Daniel  Smith,  act 
ing  governor  of  the  Territory,  gave  Governor 
Sevier  permission  to  follow  his  favorite  mode 
of  fighting  the  Indians,  and  Sevier  was  himself 
again.  Receiving  reinforcements  he  advanced 
immediately  upon  the  Indians.  Crossing  the 
Little  Tennessee,  he  destroyed  Estimaula,  one 
of  their  largest  villages,  and  that  night  he 
camped  on  the  banks  of  the  Estimaula  River, 
the  horses  being  hidden  in  the  woods  near  the 
camp.  His  army  was  very  close  to  the  fleeing 
warriors  and  he  expected  them  to  attempt  a 
night  attack.  The  woods  echoed  with  noises 
which  convinced  the  General  that  danger  was 
near.  The  sentinels  were  doubled  and  the 
troops  slept  on  their  arms.  Late  in  the  night 
the  warriors  came  stealthily  creeping  through 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         199 

the  high  sedge-grass  so  near  that  the  sentinels 
heard  them  cock  their  guns.  The  soldiers  fired, 
the  warriors  returned  the  fire,  then  retired. 
Next  night  the  camp-fires  were  left  blazing, 
but  the  troops  camped  some  distance  away. 
Again  the  Indians  came  and  fired,  but  this  time 
into  the  deserted  camping-ground.  Seeing 
their  mistake,  they  again  took  flight.  Next 
morning  General  Sevier  dashed  onward  like 
a  hurricane  through  the  choicest  part  of  the 
Indian  country.  He  even  pushed  on  to  the 
Creek  country,  leaving  only  flames  and  smoke 
behind.  At  Etowah,  on  October  I7th,  he 
found  the  combined  forces  of  the  Creeks  and 
Cherokees  drawn  up  ready  to  dispute  the  pas 
sage  of  the  High  Tower  River.  The  General 
himself  tells  the  story  of  the  battle  that  fol 
lowed  in  these  words : 

"  On  the  I7th  inst.,  in  the  afternoon,  we 
arrived  at  the  forks  of  Coosa  and  High  Tower 
rivers.  Colonel  Kelley  was  ordered,  with  a 
part  of  his  Knox  regiment,  to  endeavor  to 
cross  the  High  Tower.  The  Creeks  and  a 
number  of  Cherokees  had  entrenched  them 
selves  to  obstruct  the  passage.  Colonel  Kelly 
and  his  party  passed  down  the  river,  half  a 
mile  below  the  ford,  and  began  to  cross  at  a 
private  place,  where  there  was  no  ford.  Him 
self  and  a  few  others  swam  over  the  river. 


200         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

The  Indians,  discovering  this  movement,  im 
mediately  left  their  intrenchments,  and  ran 
down  the  river  to  oppose  their  passage,  ex 
pecting,  as  I  suppose,  the  whole  intended 
crossing  at  the  lower  place.  Captain  Evans 
immediately,  with  a  company  of  mounted  in 
fantry,  strained  their  horses  back  to  the  upper 
ford  and  began  to  cross  the  river.  Very 
few  had  got  to  the  south  bank  before  the 
Indians,  who  had  discovered  their  mistake, 
returned  and  received  them  furiously  at 
the  rising  of  the  bank.  An  engagement  in 
stantly  took  place,  and  became  very  warm,  and, 
notwithstanding  the  enemy  were  at  least  four 
to  one  in  numbers,  besides  [having]  the  ad 
vantage  of  the  situation,  Captain  Evans,  with 
his  heroic  company,  put  them  entirely  to  flight. 
They  left  several  dead  on  the  ground,  and 
were  seen  to  carry  others  off  both  on  foot  and 
horse.  .  .  .  Trails  of  blood  from  the 
wounded  were  to  be  seen  in  every  quarter. 
Their  encampment  fell  into  our  hands,  with 
a  number  of  their  guns,  many  of  which  were 
of  the  Spanish  sort.  .  .  .  The  party 
flogged  at  High  Tower  were  those  which  had 
been  out  with  Watts.  .  .  .  We  took  and 
destroyed  near  three  hundred  beeves,  many  of 
which  were  of  the  best  and  largest  kind.  Of 
course,  their  losing  so  much  provisions  must 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         201 

distress  them  very  much.  Many  women  and 
children  might  have  been  taken ;  but,  from  mo 
tives  of  humanity,  I  did  not  encourage  it  to 
be  done,  and  several  taken  were  suffered  to 
make  their  escape.  Your  excellency  knows 
the  disposition  of  many  who  were  out  on  this 
expedition,  and  can  readily  account  for  this 
conduct."  * 

Thus  ended  the  last  military  service  of  Gen 
eral  Sevier.  For  nearly  twenty  years  he  had 
been  constantly  engaged  in  expensive  expedi 
tions  against  the  enemy,  yet  he  never  received 
pay  from  the  government  for  any  of  them, 
except  this  Etowah  campaign.  In  this  last 
campaign  he  was  serving  as  an  officer  of  the 
United  States,  hence  the  reason  for  his  re 
ceiving  pay  for  himself  and  his  soldiers  this 
time.  In  thirty-five  battles  he  had  wielded  his 
sword  and  swept  the  enemy  from  the  battle 
field,  and  so  careful  was  he  in  all  his  plans 
of  assault  that  he  lost  in  all  his  engagements 
only  fifty-six  men.  Every  time  he  charged, 
the  ranks  of  the  enemy  were  broken  and  vic 
tory  was  his.  By  his  vigilance  and  swift  cam 
paigns  with  fire  and  sword,  he  broke  the  power 
of  the  Creeks  and  Cherokees  and  forced  them 
to  bury  their  tomahawks,  which  they  never 
again  dug  up  to  wield  against  his  people. 

1  Ramsey's  "  Annals  of  Tennessee,"  p.   587. 


202         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

About  this  time  the  Indians  of  the  lower 
towns  along  the  Tennessee  \vere  giving  great 
distress  to  the  settlers  along  the  Cumberland 
at  Nashville.  Sevier,  now  no  longer  acting 
upon  the  defensive,  the  crippled  warriors 
turned  their  forces  against  Robertson,  who 
was  still  careful  to  use  the  defensive  tactics. 
He  feared  that  one  battle  with  the  Indians  or 
the  death  of  a  Spanish  trader  might  destroy 
the  friendly  relations  with  Spain  and  put  an 
end  to  the  negotiations  for  the  free  navigation 
of  the  Mississippi  River.  One  campaign  against 
the  towns  would  break  the  power  of  these  In 
dians,  and  the  people  clamored  to  storm  them 
and  teach  them  the  lesson  that  Sevier  had 
taught  them  at  Etowah,  but  Robertson  would 
not  yet  consent.  Scarcely  a  week  passed  for 
nearly  four  years  without  the  murder  of  some 
settler.  The  three  sons  of  Valentine  Sevier 
were  killed,  and  Robertson  himself  was 
wounded. 

Every  day  the  feeling  of  indignation  among 
the  people  grew  stronger,  and  Robertson  finally 
decided  to  follow  the  example  set  by  Sevier  at 
Etowah.  Soon  an  opportunity  came.  The 
Creeks  had  been  stirred  up  by  one  of  their 
chiefs,  who  had  falsely  reported  Robertson  as 
having  said,  "  There  has  been  a  great  deal  of 
blood  spilt  in  our  settlement,  and  I  will  come 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER         203 

and  sweep  it  clean  with  your  blood."  This 
report  caused  a  general  uprising  of  the  Creeks. 
A  force  of  six  hundred  Indians  invaded  the 
Cumberland  Settlement  and  attacked  Buch 
anan's  Station,  which  was  defended  by  only 
fifteen  men,  but  by  their  almost  superhuman 
efforts  the  Indians  were  repulsed  with  heavy 
loss.  A  succession  of  fights  followed  and  the 
white  men  determined  to  give  the  Lower 
Towns  their  Etowah.  The  Nick-a-jack  expe 
dition  resulted. 

While  raising  troops  for  the  expedition,  the 
question  came,  "Who  is  to  be  our  guide?" 
and  Joseph  Brown  was  selected  as  the  most 
suitable  man.  This  man's  life  was  an  inter 
esting  one.  When  he  was  only  a  boy,  his 
father,  Colonel  James  Brown,  an  officer  in  the 
American  Revolution,  undertook  a  voyage 
down  the  Tennessee  to  settle  upon  the  Cum 
berland.  He  took  with  him  his  family,  sev 
eral  negroes,  and  five  young  men.  His  boat, 
built  on  the  Holston,  was  walled  around  above 
the  gunwales  \vith  oak  planks  two  inches  thick. 
Port  holes  were  made  in  the  sides,  and  a  swivel 
was  placed  in  the  stern  for  a  defence.  As 
soon  as  they  had  passed  the  Chickamauga 
towns,  Indian  runners  were  sent  across  the 
mountains  to  warn  the  \varriors  at  Nick-a-jack 
and  Running  Water  of  the  coming  of  the  boat. 


204         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

The  Indians  paddled  up  the  river  in  their 
canoes  to  meet  the  boat.  They  held  up  white 
flags,  but  this  was  a  ruse,  for  their  guns  and 
tomahawks  were  concealed  in  the  bottom  of 
their  canoes.  Brown  wheeled  his  boat  and 
faced  them  with  the  swivel,  ordering  them 
not  to  come  near.  But  Van,  one  of  their  num 
ber,  came  on  board  to  talk  with  him,  stating 
that  his  men  only  wanted  to  see  where  he  was 
going  and  to  trade  with  him.  Accordingly 
Brown  ordered  his  men  not  to  fire.  The  In 
dians  then  moved  up  to  the  boat  and  began 
to  rob  it.  Brown  asked  Van  to  prevent  the 
mischief,  but  Van  only  stated  that  the  head 
man  was  then  away  and  that  as  soon  as  he 
returned  the  goods  would  all  be  restored. 
Then  a  dirty,  black-looking  savage  with  a 
sword  in  his  hand  took  young  Joseph  by  the 
arm  and  was  about  to  kill  him,  when  Mr. 
Brown  interfered.  Joseph  was  released,  and 
Mr.  Brown  turned  to  see  what  else  was  being 
done.  As  soon  as  Brown's  back  was  turned, 
the  brutal  savage  drew  his  sword  and  cut  his 
head  nearly  half  off,  and  another  Indian  threw 
him  overboard.  Poor  little  Joseph  saw  his  un 
fortunate  father  thrown  overboard  and  ran 
to  tell  his  brothers.  The  scene  that  followed 
was  horrible.  Little  Joseph,  his  poor  mother, 
and  the  rest  of  the  family  left  alive,  were 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         205 

taken  prisoners  and  scattered  among  the 
Creek  and  Cherokee  towns  as  slaves. 

Little  Joseph  expected  to  be  murdered.  The 
Indians  really  intended  to  kill  him  and  had 
stripped  off  his  clothes  when  an  old  French 
woman  begged  them  not  to  kill  him  there  nor 
along  the  road  she  had  to  pass  in  carrying  her 
water  from  the  spring.  While  they  were  mut 
tering  and  stripping  him  of  his  clothes,  the 
poor  lad  fell  upon  his  knees  and  cried,  like  the 
dying  Saint  Stephen,  "  Lord  Jesus,  into  thy 
hands  I  commend  my  spirit."  He  was  spared, 
but  had  a  hard  life  among  the  Indians.  Holes 
were  bored  in  his  ears,  and  his  hair  was  cut 
short,  leaving  only  a  scalp-lock.  He  was  com 
pelled  to  wear  Indian  clothing  which  exposed 
his  body  to  the  burning  sun;  and  he  was  sent 
to  hoe  corn  in  the  hot  sun  till  he  was  blistered 
with  the  heat.  He  at  first  became  sick  and 
faint  and  would  have  perished  had  it  not  been 
for  the  approach  of  a  rain  cloud  which  drove 
the  laborers  from  the  field.  After  several 
years  of  slavery  and  untold  hardships,  the  lad 
and  his  mother  and  sisters  were  rescued  by 
General  Sevier. 

But  Joseph  had  learned  well  the  locations 
of  the  lower  towns,  and  after  a  lapse  of  a 
few  years  he  was  employed  as  a  guide  of  an 
army  which  was  determined  to  crush  the 


206         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

power  of  the  warriors  who  had  killed  his 
father  and  enslaved  his  mother. 

Brown  found  a  route  from  Nashville  to  the 
Indian  towns,  and  Major  Ore  began  the  march. 
Crossing  Duck  River  below  the  Old  Stone 
Fort,  an  Indian  monument  of  some  archaeolog 
ical  interest,  belo\v  Manchester,  Tennessee, 
the  army  pushed  across  the  Cumberland 
Mountain  and  reached  the  Tennessee,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Sequatchie.  Here  the  soldiers 
constructed  rafts  and  canoes  and  crossed  the 
Tennessee  in  the  rear  of  the  town.  The  troops 
were  formed  into  two  divisions,  one  to  go 
above  Nick-a-jack,  the  other  below,  to  make  a 
simultaneous  attack.  The  Indians  felt  so  se 
cure  that  they  had  no  sentinels  posted.  There 
was  only  one  way  for  them  to  escape  to  the 
river  and  this  was  by  a  small  creek  that 
emptied  into  it  below  the  town.  All 
this  Brown  carefully  explained  to  the  sol 
diers. 

At  the  first  fire  of  the  soldiers,  the  Indians 
took  alarm  and  made  a  sudden  rush  for  the 
river.  As  they  huddled  together,  the  soldiers 
poured  streams  of  lead  into  their  crowded 
ranks  and  but  few  escaped.  Running  Water 
next  fell,  and  the  power  of  the  Indians  was 
completely  broken.  Thus  ended  the  last 
struggle  between  the  Indians  and  the  white 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER         207 

settlers   for  the  possession  of  this   fertile  re 
gion. 

A  quiet,  peaceable,  liberty-loving,  indus 
trious,  God-fearing  people  now  bore  the  ban 
ners  of  civilization  through  the  western  wil 
derness  and  converted  the  forests  into  waving 
fields  of  golden  grain.  Their  example  was 
slowly  followed  by  the  Indians.  They  aban 
doned  to  a  great  extent  the  arts  of  war  and 
began  to  till  the  soil. 

From  this  time  till  1796,  the  population  in 
creased  with  wonderful  rapidity.  Scarcely  a 
day  passed  without  the  arrival  of  families  of 
immigrants.  The  towns  grew  as  if  by  magic. 
In  the  older  settlements  more  stately  man 
sions  were  built,  and  the  manner  of  living  be 
came  more  refined.  Post  offices  were  estab 
lished  and  mail  was  regularly  received  from 
the  seaboard,  but  it  took  a  long  time  to  get  a 
reply  to  a  letter  addressed  to  any  one  living 
east  of  the  Alleghanies,  as  the  carrier  was 
many  days  in  making  his  trip.  Besides,  the 
postage  rates  were  so  high  that  very  few  let 
ters  were  written.  When  a  letter  was  re 
ceived  at  the  post  office,  it  often  passed  through 
many  hands  before  it  reached  its  owner. 

On  November  5th,  1791,  a  newspaper  was 
published  by  Mr.  George  Roulston,  first  at 
Rogersville,  and  soon  afterwards  moved  to 


208         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

Knoxville,  where  it  took  the  name  of  "  The 
Knoxville  Gazette."  It  was  the  first  news 
paper  west  of  the  Alleghanies. 

Everywhere  the  people  manifested  a  fresh 
religious  zeal  and  enthusiasm,  and  the  churches 
vied  with  each  other  in  spreading  the  doctrines 
of  their  faiths.  The  Methodists  began  to  hold 
their  conferences  in  the  troublous  times  of  the 
State  of  Franklin  and  their  "  circuit  riders  " 
did  much  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of  the  pio 
neers  and  much  to  make  them  better  citizens. 
The  Baptists  and  the  Presbyterians  were 
equally  zealous  in  their  services.  The  people 
were  careful  in  their  attendance  at  church,  of 
ten  going  a  distance  of  fifteen  miles  to  attend 
services. 

In  the  older  settlements,  the  schools  were 
growing  better,  and  more  interest  was  being 
shown  in  education.  The  example  and  efforts 
of  Doctor  Doak  were  an  inspiration  to  the 
citizens.  General  Sevier  took  an  active  part 
in  establishing  Washington  College  and  Blount 
College,  the  latter  of  which  has  grown  into  the 
University  of  Tennessee,  one  of  the  best  in 
the  South.  There  was  set  in  motion  at  this 
time  that  interest  in  education  which  is  to 
day  the  life  of  Tennessee. 

The  sports  and  pastimes  of  the  people  were 
about  the  same  as  in  earlier  days.  Log-roll- 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         209 

ings,  quilting-bees,  corn-huskings,  shooting- 
matches,  hunting-trips,  and  horse-racing  were 
time-honored  sports  which  brought  the  people 
together  on  many  an  occasion.  A  wedding 
was  an  event  of  importance.  The  cere 
mony,  very  simple  in  kind,  was  performed 
sometimes  at  church,  but  more  often  at 
the  bride's  home.  Sometimes  a  bounti 
ful  supper  was  served,  followed  by  a  social 
gathering  of  relatives  and  friends.  There 
were  no  buggies  and  carriages  to  accommo 
date  the  happy  pair ;  when  they  took  a  wedding 
trip,  it  was  on  horseback.  It  frequently  hap 
pened  that  the  young  husband  had  only  a  sin 
gle  horse,  and  in  such  case  he  would  take  his 
young  wife  up  behind  him. 

This  was  nearly  a  century  before  the  tele 
phone,  yet  it  is  astonishing  to  observe  how 
rapidly  news  traveled  through  the  country. 
Every  family  was  careful  to  entertain 
strangers.  The  larger  and  wealthier  families 
living  near  the  road  would  often  send  a  cour 
teous  old  slave  to  invite  traveling  strangers  to 
stay  all  night  and  tell  them  the  news.  Many 
a  night  they  would  sit  up  till  late  hours  telling 
thrilling  tales,  perchance  of  some  ancestor's 
voyage,  beset  with  storms  and  shipwrecks,  or 
of  the  swift  campaigns  of  Nolichucky  Jack 
against  the  Indians. 


210         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

Such  was  the  life  among  the  people  of  the 
Territory.  The  men  were  honest  and  lived 
by  the  sweat  of  the  brow.  Their  labor  in  the 
out-door  air  gave  them  strong,  healthful 
bodies,  and  it  was  not  an  uncommon  thing  for 
a  man  to  live  to  the  ripe  old  age  of  one  hun 
dred  years.  From  this  sturdy,  honest  people 
many  prominent  Americans  have  sprung,  men 
whose  names  adorn  the  pages  of  our  nation's 
history. 

Everywhere  the  hardy  settlers  were  blessed 
with  peace  and  plenty.  It  was  an  Arcadia 
with  its  barns  filled  with  plenty,  the  schools 
flourishing,  religion  prevailing,  and  the  peo 
ple  happy.  There  was  marrying  and  giving  in 
marriage,  and  the  growth  of  the  population 
was  so  rapid  that  the  census  of  1795  showed 
that  there  were  more  than  sixty  thousand 
white  people  in  the  Territory, — more  than  the 
required  number  to  entitle  the  Territory  to 
become  a  State. 


CHAPTER    XIII 

THE   CLOSING  DAYS 

THE  proposition  of  creating  a  new  State  out 
of  the  Territory  was  left  by  Congress  to  a  vote 
of  the  people.  The  era  of  good  feeling  that 
had  existed  under  the  Territory  caused  many 
people  to  oppose  the  formation  of  a  new  State, 
but  the  wiser  everywhere  were  enthusiastic 
for  the  change.  The  reason  was  obvious. 
They  loved  Governor  Blount,  but  they  did  not 
like  to  live  under  even  good  laws  and  the  best 
of  rulers  in  the  selection  of  which  they  had 
no  voice.  As  it  was,  they  had  no  voice  in 
making  the  laws  and  no  vote  in  the  Presiden 
tial  elections. 

On  January  nth,  1796,  a  convention  met 
at  Knoxville  to  form  a  constitution.  There 
were  by  this  time  eleven  counties  in  the  Terri 
tory,  and  each  of  these  counties  furnished  five 
men  to  the  convention.  On  the  first  day  of 
the  meeting,  Governor  William  Blount  was 
chosen  president  of  the  convention,  and  the 
other  officers  were  elected.  The  next  day  the 

211 


212         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

actual  work  of  the  convention  began  with  a 
prayer  and  a  sermon  delivered  by  Reverend 
Samuel  Carrick.  Perfect  harmony  prevailed 
among  the  members.  It  was  proposed  by  An 
drew  Jackson  that  the  new  State  be  named  af 
ter  the  magnificent  river  which  winds  across 
the  Territory.  This  river  was  first  called  the 
Cherokee,  but  gradually  become  known  as  the 
Tenasee,  or  Tennessee.  From  the  convention, 
a  committee  of  two  members  from  each  county 
was  selected  to  draw  up  a  bill  of  rights  and  a 
constitution  for  the  State.  So  well  did  this 
committee  do  its  work  that  Mr.  Jefferson  de 
clared  it  to  be  "  the  least  imperfect  and  most 
republican "  constitution  among  the  States. 
The  whole  session  lasted  only  twenty-seven 
days,  and  it  was  marked  throughout  by  rigid 
economy  on  the  part  of  the  members.  They 
were  paid  $1.50  a  day  for  their  services  and 
3^  cents  a  mile  for  traveling  expenses;  they 
paid  the  clerks  $2.50  a  day,  and  the  door 
keeper  $2.00  a  day,  and  the  entire  incidental 
expenses  amounted  to  only  $12.62. 

A'fter  the  work  of  the  convention  was  fin 
ished,  Governor  Blount  issued  an  order  for 
the  election  of  Governor  and  members  of  the 
Legislature  for  the  new  State.  The  people 
responded  to  the  order,  and  the  first  Legisla 
ture  of  Tennessee  met  at  Knoxville,  the  first 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         213 

capital  of  Tennessee,  March  28th,  1796.  The 
election  returns,  examined  by  the  Legislature, 
showed  that  John  Sevier  was  elected  Governor 
without  opposition. 

On  March  3Oth,  1796,  Mr.  Sevier  was 
sworn  into  office  in  the  presence  of  both  houses 
of  the  Legislature,  by  Judge  Joseph  Anderson. 
The  Legislature  then  elected  William  Maclin, 
Secretary  of  State ;  Landon  Carter,  Treasurer 
of  Washington  and  Hamilton  Districts;  Wil 
liam  Black,  Treasurer  of  Miro  District ;  John 
McNairy,  William  Blount,  and  Archibald 
Roane,  Judges  of  the  Supreme  Court ;  Hop 
kins  Lacy,  John  Lowry,  and  Howell  Tatum, 
Attorneys  for  the  State;  William  Blount  and 
W7illiam  Cooke,  Senators  in  Congress. 

In  Congress  there  was  much  opposition  to 
the  admission  of  the  Territory.  It  was 
claimed  by  some  that  the  people  of  the  Terri 
tory  could  not  take  the  census  themselves,  but 
that  it  must  be  done  by  an  act  of  Congress. 
It  was  suspected  that  the  friends  of  Mr.  Jef 
ferson  desired  the  admission  of  Tennessee 
that  its  vote  might  be  cast  for  him  to  succeed 
Mr.  Adams  as  President.  But  the  bill  finally 
passed  the  Senate.  On  June  ist,  1796,  Presi 
dent  Washington  signed  the  act  of  Congress 
that  created  the  State  of  Tennessee,  which,  on 
account  of  the  vast  number  of  volunteers  in 


2i4         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

war,  has  been  very  appropriately  called  the 
Volunteer  State.  The  Senators  were  re- 
elected  in  August,  and  Andrew  Jackson  was 
elected  the  first  Representative  in  Congress 
from  Tennessee.  Jackson  was  a  man  of  iron 
and  an  ardent  supporter  of  Mr.  Jefferson's 
party.  In  fact  the  majority  of  the  people  in 
the  State  were  of  this  party. 

The  first  message  sent  by  Governor  Sevier 
to  the  Legislature  was  brief: 

"  Gentlemen  of  the  Senate  and  House  of 
Representatives:  The  high  and  honorable 
appointment  conferred  upon  me  by  the  free 
suffrage  of  my  countrymen  fills  my  breast 
with  gratitude,  which,  I  trust,  my  future  life 
will  manifest.  I  take  this  early  opportunity 
to  express,  through  you,  my  thanks  in  the 
strongest  terms  of  acknowledgment.  I  shall 
labor  to  discharge  with  fidelity  the  trust  re 
posed  in  me;  and,  if  such  my  exertions  should 
prove  satisfactory,  the  first  wish  of  my  heart' 
will  be  gratified. 

"  Gentlemen,  accept  of  my  best  wishes  for 
your  individual  and  public  happiness;  and,  re 
lying  upon  your  wisdom  and  patriotism,  I 
have  no  doubt  but  the  result  of  your  delibera 
tions  will  give  permanency  and  success  to  our 
new  system  of  government,  so  wisely  calcu 
lated  to  secure  the  liberty  and  advance  the 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         215 

happiness    and    prosperity    of    our     fellow- 
citizens." 

By  a  wise  stroke  of  policy,  Governor  Sevier  ^ 
began  to  reconcile  his  enemies  by  bestowing""" 
favors  upon  them.  Among  the  first  officers 
appointed  was  John  Tipton,  his  bitterest 
enemy.  The  new  Governor  ordered  a  seal 
for  the  State.  In  this  seal,  the  cotton-plant, 
the  sheaf  of  wheat,  the  plow  and  the  sailing 
vessel  were  adopted  as  emblems  of  the  great 
resources  of  Tennessee.  He  secured  compen 
sation  from  the  United  States  government  for 
the  soldiers  who  had  fought  in  the  Etowah 
campaign. 

The  white  men  were  encroaching  daily  upon 
the  Indians'  lands,  and  the  relations  between 
the  Indians  and  the  white  men  were  again 
becoming  sorely  strained.  The  treaty  be 
tween  the  United  States  and  Spain,  in  the 
previous  year,  had  secured  the  free  naviga 
tion  of  the  Mississippi  River  and  put  an  end 
to  Spanish  intrigues;  and  the  Governor,  by 
the  help  of  Congress,  settled  the  difficulty 
without  bloodshed. 

After  his  election  to  the  Senate,  William 
Blount  was  accused  of  having  entered  into  a 
conspiracy  with  the  British  to  draw  Tennessee 
out  of  the  Union  and  help  England  organize 
an  empire  in  the  great  Southwest.  On  this 


216         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

charge  he  was  expelled  from  the  Senate,  July 
8th,  1797.  An  officer  of  the  United  States 
was  sent  to  Knoxville  to  arrest  him  and  take 
him  to  Philadelphia  for  trial.  Blotint  refused 
to  go;  the  officer  himself  could  not  take  him, 
and  the  men  summoned  to  help  arrest  him 
absolutely  refused  to  do  so.  So  the  matter 
ended.  An  investigation  proved  to  the  Sen 
ate  that  no  case  could  be  sustained  against 
Mr.  Blount.  He  was  at  once  elected  to  the 
State  Senate  and  was  made  Speaker  of  that 
body.  He  died  at  Knoxville,  March  2ist, 
1800,  and  was  buried  in  the  yard  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  in  that  city. 

In  1798  Sevier  was  re-elected  Governor 
without  opposition.  These  years  of  the  Gov 
ernor  were  busy  and  full  of  care  for  the  wel 
fare  of  the  new  commonwealth.  He  en 
couraged  manufacturing  and  commerce,  for 
he  knew  that  the  wealth  of  a  country  de 
pends  upon  its  skilful  laborers  and  its  trade 
relations.  There  were  no  railroads,  of  course, 
to  carry  on  trade  with  other  States,  but  boats 
went  down  the  Tennessee  and  the  Mississippi 
to  New  Orleans  with  heavy  cargoes,  and 
wagon  trains  went  regularly  to  the  eastern 
cities  with  loads  of  farm  products  and  bought 
goods  and  articles  of  every  kind  to  supply  the 
wants  of  the  people.  Schools  were  growing 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         217 

better  everywhere,  books  were  more  plentiful, 
and  the  people  read  more  than  they  had  for 
merly  done. 

In  the  midst  of  peace  and  prosperity, 
Sevier's  second  term  of  office  expired  in  1799; 
and  the  people  elected  him  again.  His  third 
term  was  characterized  by  the  same  degree  of 
prosperity.  Three  times  in  succession  had  he 
been  elected  Governor  without  opposition, 
and  now,  according  to  the  constitution,  he  was 
ineligible  till  some  other  man  had  served  a 
term.  So,  in  the  election  that  followed, 
Archibald  Roane  was  elected. 

Governor  Sevier  now  retired  to  his  farm 
south  of  Knoxville,  where  he  remained  for 
two  years  in  the  enjoyments  of  his  home.  He 
lived  the  life  of  a  plain  country  gentleman. 
He  went  to  church  regularly.  His  farm  was 
tilled  by  his  slaves,  and  it  was  his  chief  voca 
tion  to  superintend  their  work.  As  he  rode 
among  them,  his  slaves  greeted  him  cour 
teously,  for  they  had  a  deep  affection  for  him. 
Scarcely  a  day  passed  at  his  hospitable  home 
without  the  entertainment  of  some  friend. 
Sometimes  it  \vas  an  Indian  chief  or  a  dusky 
warrior  against  whom  he  had  drawn  his 
sword  in  a  more  evil  time ;  but  the  Indians 
ever  remembered  Nolichucky  Jack  as  a  good 
man.  But  it  was  more  generally  the  battle- 


218         THE  LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

scarred  veterans  who  had  come  to  visit  their 
old  general,  whom  they  had  never  forgotten  to 
love.  Many  a  night  did  they  sit  before  the 
roaring  fire  in  the  huge  fireplace,  recounting 
the  exploits  of  Sevier's  thirty-five  battles  and 
thirty-five  victories. 

At  the  expiration  of  Roane's  term  of  of 
fice,  the  people  again  called  for  the  re-election 
of  Sevier.  Again  the  "Good  Old  Governor" 
was  elected  and  again  he  assumed  the  weight 
of  responsibility  as  the  chief  magistrate  of 
the  State. 

Although  Sevier  was  elected  by  the  popular 
vote,  there  were  those  who,  jealous  of  his 
popularity,  tried  to  destroy  his  political  favor 
by  circulating  false  reports  about  him.  They 
accused  him  of  speculation  in  land-warrants 
and  even  of  forgery.  John  Tipton,  a  member 
of  the  Legislature  at  the  time,  made  strenu 
ous  exertions  for  his  downfall.  These  re 
ports  caused  a  committee  of  investigation  to 
be  appointed  to  look  into  the  matter.  This 
committee  found  the  charges  to  be  without 
foundation.  Sevier's  popularity  seems  not  to 
have  been  affected  by  these  efforts  to  injure  his 
reputation.  But  his  indignation  was  aroused 
against  Andrew  Jackson,  whom  he  had  ap 
pointed  Judge  of  the  Superior  Court.  Jackson 
was  of  a  very  different  temper  from  Sevier. 


THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER         219 

Sevier's  temper  was  fiery,  but  he  was  ever 
ready  and  eager  to  atone  for  any  wrong  he 
had  done,  while,  on  the  other  hand,  Jackson 
rarely  forgave  an  enemy. 

Jackson  was  so  bold  in  his  attacks  upon 
Sevier's  character  that  the  old  Governor  be 
came  deeply  angered  and  used  some  abusive 
language  in  his  speeches  about  Jackson.  Not 
long  after  the  State  election,  Sevier  and  Jack 
son  met  on  the  public  square  in  Knoxville, 
where  Jackson  was  holding  court.  A  quarrel 
ensued  and  Sevier  accused  Jackson  of  having 
been  the  prime-mover  of  the  attacks  upon  his 
reputation,  and  further  made  a  reference  to  an 
incident  in  Jackson's  domestic  life,  upon  which 
point  Jackson  was  very  sensitive.  Jackson 
tried  to  attack  Sevier  on  the  spot,  but  was 
restrained  through  the  intervention  of  his 
friends.  The  next  day  Jackson  challenged 
Sevier  to  fight  a  duel. 

Dueling  was  a  somewhat  common  practice 
of  those  early  days.  When  a  challenge  was 
received,  it  was  considered  unmanly  and 
even  cowardly  to  refuse  to  accept  it.  Each 
of  the  incensed  men  selected  some  favorite 
friend  for  his  second,  and  the  time  and  place 
for  the  duel  were  arranged  by  these  seconds. 
Everything  being  in  readiness,  the  duelists, 
accompanied  by  their  respective  seconds,  met 


220         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

upon  the  selected  ground.  Men  were  sure 
marksmen  in  those  days.  Previous  to  the  day 
set  for  the  duel,  the  antagonists  often  spent 
much  time  at  practicing  with  their  pistols. 
When  the  hour  came,  each  man  took  his  place 
at  a  specified  distance  apart  from  the  other. 
Here  they  stood,  their  pistols  pointing  towards 
the  ground.  There  was  silence  for  a  moment ; 
then  the  silence  was  broken  by  the  order, 
"  Fire ! "  Such  was  the  duel  as  understood 
by  both  Sevier  and  Jackson.  But  Sevier 
wrote  in  a  firm  hand  the  following  reply  to 
Jackson's  challenge : 

KNOXVILLE,  Oct.  2,   1803. 

"Sir,  your  to-day,  by  Andrew  Whithe,  Esq.,  I  have 
received,  and  am  pleased  with  the  contents,  so  far  as 
respects  a  personal  interview. 

"  Your  ungentlemanly  and  gasconading  conduct  of 
yesterday,  and,  indeed,  at  all  other  times  heretofore, 
have  unmasked  you  to  me  and  to  the  world.  The 
voice  of  the  Assembly  has  made  you  a  Judge,  and  this 
alone  renders  you  worthy  of  my  notice,  or  that  of  any 
other  gentleman.  To  the  office  I  have  respect,  and  this 
only  makes  you  worthy  of  notice. 

"  I  shall  wait  on  you  with  pleasure  at  any  time  and 
place  not  within  the  State  of  Tennessee,  attended  by 
my  friend,  wih  pistols,  presuming  you  know  nothing 
about  the  use  of  any  other  arms.  Georgia,  Virginia, 
and  North  Carolina  are  in  our  vicinity,  and  we  can 
easily  repair  to  either  of  those  places  and  conveniently 
retire  into  the  inoffending  government.  You  cannot 
mistake  me  or  my  meaning. 

"  Yours,  etc.,  etc., 

"  Hon.  A.  Jackson."  "  JOHN    SEVIER. 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         221 

Jackson  insisted  upon  fighting  the  duel 
near  Knoxville,  and,  of  course,  was  not 
pleased  with  Sevier's  reply.  But  Sevier 
would  not  consent  to  violate  the  laws  of  his 
State  and  again  wrote  Jackson:  "An  inter 
view  within  the  State  you  know  I  have  denied. 
Anywhere  outside,  you  have  nothing  to  do 
but  to  name  the  place  and  I  will  the  time.  I 
have  some  regard  for  the  laws  of  the  State 
over  which  I  have  the  honor  to  preside,  al 
though  you,  a  Judge,  appear  to  have  none." 

It  seemed  that  a  duel  was  inevitable;  but, 
through  negotiations  of  friends  on  both  sides, 
matters  were  finally  adjusted,  and  the  two 
heroes  were  induced  to  join  hands  in  friend 
ship. 

During  his  first  succession  of  terms  of 
office,  Governor  Sevier  undertook  to  huild 
in  Knoxville  a  brick  mansion  for  his  resi 
dence.  After  the  walls  had  been  raised  above 
the  basement,  he  gave  up  the  plan  and  sold 
his  property ;  it  was  too  expensive  for  his  in 
come.  The  building  was  finished  by  the  pur 
chaser  and  is  standing  to-day  in  sight  of  St. 
John's  Episcopal  Church,  Knoxville. 

Sevier  continued  to  live  on  his  plantation, 
and  his  friends,  rich  and  poor,  continued  to 
share  his  bountiful  hospitality.  Distinguished 
visitors  to  this  country  from  abroad  were 


222         THE   LIFE   OF   SEVIER 

sometimes  hospitably  entertained  at  his  simple 
country  home.  On  one  occasion,  three  sons 
of  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  Louis  Philippe  and 
two  brothers,  were  entertained  by  Governor 
and  Mrs.  Sevier.  In  fact,  it  took  about  all 
his  salary,  in  addition  to  the  resources  of  his 
plantation,  to  enable  him  to  keep  up  his  un 
limited  hospitality  and  expensive  entertain 
ments  of  all  who  chose  to  lodge  with  him. 
Is  it  a  wonder,  then,  that  he  was  always 
poor  P1 

Governor  Sevier,  with  his  family,  attended 
church  at  Lebanon,  about  four  miles  east  of 
Knoxville.  Reverend  Samuel  Carrick  was 
the  pastor.  On  such  occasions  Sevier  laid 
aside  his  military  uniform,  wearing  his  three- 
cornered  hat  and  citizen's  clothes.  At  church 
he  had  his  usual  cordial  greetings  for  his 
friends  and  always  listened  to  the  sermon 

1  The  following,  given  to  Doctor  Draper  in  1844 
by  George  Washington  Sevier,  son  of  John  Sevier, 
shows  another  cause  of  the  General's  straightened 
circumstances:  "Notwithstanding  he  had  settled  in 
Tennessee  at  an  early  day  and  had  much  of  the  fine 
lands  in  the  country,  yet  he  died  comparatively  poor. 
From  his  natural,  obliging  way,  he  had  become  secur 
ity  for  friends  and  had  many  thousand  dollars  to  pay 
of  security  debts,  and  in  order  to  meet  them  sold  sev 
eral  thousand  acres  of  his  choicest  lands  for  40  cents 
an  acre  that  have  since  commanded  well-nigh  as  many 
dollars."— Draper  MSS. 


THE  LIFE   OF   SEVIER         223 

with  a  grave,  reverential  demeanor,  for  he 
held  the  most  sacred  regard  for  everything 
moral  and  religious.  But  he  never  became  a 
member  of  any  church,  as  he  did  not  approve 
of  the  doctrinal  opinions  which  he  had  thus 
far  been  taught.  In  his  old  age,  when  flat 
tered  by  friends  on  his  useful  career  and  great 
achievements  for  western  civilization,  he  in 
formed  them  that  he  was  only  an  instrument 
in  the  hands  of  Providence  and  was  always 
led  and  guided  by  His  Infinite  Goodness. 

In  1805  and  again  in  1807  he  was  re- 
elected,  and  so  six  more  years  of  his  life 
were  spent  in  the  gubernatorial  office.  Again 
he  became  ineligible  and  sought  the  retire 
ment  of  the  quiet  country  life.  But  his 
friends,  feeling  grateful  for  the  great  services 
he  had  rendered  to  the  State  and  to  America 
in  his  earlier  years,  wished  to  bestow  other 
honors  upon  him.  So,  in  1811,  they  elected 
him  to  Congress,  and  again  in  1813,  and 
1815. 

While  he  was  in  Congress,  the  War  of 
1812  was  declared  and  waged.  During  this 
time  he  was  usually  a  silent  worker,  but  ac 
complished  much.  From  his  long  experience 
in  the  tactics  of  war,  he  was  placed  on  the 
Committee  of  Military  Affairs  and  rendered 
valuable  services  to  the  nation  during  the 


224         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

whole  war.  President  Madison  offered  him  a 
generalship  in  the  army,  but  Sevier  declined 
to  accept  it. 

In  1815,  the  year  of  the  battle  of  New 
Orleans,  President  Madison  appointed  Sevier 
a  commissioner  to  run  the  boundary  line  of 
the  lands  which  the  Creeks  had  just  ceded  to 
the  United  States.  In  June,  he  left  his  Bonny 
Kate,  never  again  to  see  her.  He  was  in  his 
seventy-first  year,  and  his  body  was  weak 
ened  by  his  lifetime  of  struggles  and  hard 
ships.  While  at  work  in  the  Creek  country, 
he  contracted  a  fever. 

During  the  time  of  his  illness  he  lay  in  his 
tent  near  Fort  Decatur,  Alabama,  and  Bonny 
Kate  knew  nothing  of  his  confinement  and 
suffering.  For  fifteen  days  he  suffered  with 
the  fortitude  of  a  Christian  hero;  then,  on 
September  24,  1815,  surrounded  by  anxious, 
watchful  friends,  he  drew  his  last  breath. 

He  was  buried  with  the  honors  of  war,  by 
the  troops  commanded  by  Captain  William 
Walker,  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Tallapoosa 
River,  at  an  Indian  village  called  Tuckabat- 
chee,  near  Fort  Decatur,  Alabama.  His 
grave  was  subsequently  marked  by  a  simple 
grave-stone  on  which  was  carved,  "  John 
Sevier." 

Unaware  of  Sevier's  illness  at  Fort  Deca- 


THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER         225 

tur,  the  Tennesseeans  had  a  few  weeks  before 
re-elected  him  to  Congress  without  opposition. 
At  the  news  of  his  death  the  whole  State 
mourned.  The  Legislature  of  Tennessee 
passed  a  resolution  that  each  of  the  State 
officials  wear  for  thirty  days  a  badge  of 
mourning  out  of  respect  for  his  memory. 

Strange  to  say,  the  citizens  of  Tennessee 
neglected  the  grave  of  John  Sevier  for  many 
years.  Not  until  1889  was  the  body  of  the 
first  governor  of  the  State  brought  back  to 
Tennessee.  In  June  of  that  year  the  body 
was  interred  in  the  court-house  yard  at  Knox- 
ville  with  imposing  ceremonies.  To-day  a 
beautiful  marble  monument  towers  above  his 
grave,  bearing  the  following  inscriptions : 
"John  Sevier,  Nolichucky  Jack,  September 
23d,  1744;  September  24th,  1815;  pioneer, 
soldier,  statesman,  and  one  of  the  founders 
of  the  republic;  Governor  of  the  State  of 
Franklin;  six  terms  Governor  of  Tennessee; 
four  times  elected  to  Congress;  the  typical 
pioneer  who  conquered  the  wilderness  and 
fashioned  the  State;  a  projector  and  hero  of 
King's  Mountain;  thirty-five  battles,  thirty- 
five  victories ;  his  Indian  war-cry,  '  Here  they 
are !  come  on,  boys,  come  on ! ' 

Mankind  delights  to  honor  with  monu 
ments,  busts,  statues,  and  paintings,  the  he- 


226         THE   LIFE    OF   SEVIER 

roes  whom  the  world  has  learned  to  love ;  but 
the  most  intrinsic  mementos  to  the  world  are 
the  noble  deeds  of  the  heroes  themselves.  But 
let  the  world  sing  its  paeans  of  praises;  for 
they  are  grand  and  glorious  to  hear.  The 
painter,  the  poet,  and  the  sculptor  have  built 
beautiful  memorials  to  these  great  and  good 
heroes.  May  the  day  come  when  they  shall 
adorn  the  Hall  of  Fame  with  a  fitting  memor 
ial  to  that  good  man,  that  true  hero,  that  un 
selfish  statesman,  "  Nolichucky  Jack  " ! 


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